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Poems of Love and the Rain
Song Cycle by Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022)
1. Prologue: From The Rain
Authorship:
- by Donald Windham , copyright ©
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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.2. Stop all the clocks  [sung text not yet checked]
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crêpe [bows]1 round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love [would]2 last for ever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now: put out every one, Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun, Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods; For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Authorship:
- by W. H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden (1907 - 1973), no title, appears in The Ascent of F6, first published 1936
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
View original text (without footnotes)1 Britten: "bands"
2 Britten: "could"
Researcher for this page: David K. Smythe
3. The air is the only
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Authorship:
- by Howard Moss (1922 - 1987), "Song", from The Toy Fair, first published 1954, copyright ©
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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.4. Love's stricken 'why'  [sung text not yet checked]
Love's stricken, "why" Is all that love can speak -- Built of but just a syllable The hugest hearts that break.
Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Letters of Emily Dickinson, first published 1894
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]5. The apparition
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Authorship:
- by Theodore Roethke (1908 - 1963), "The apparition", appears in The Far Field, first published 1964, copyright ©
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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.6. Do I love you more than a day?  [sung text checked 1 time]
Do I love you more than a day? [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by Jack Larson , copyright ©
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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.7. in the rain  [sung text not yet checked]
in the rain- darkness, the sunset being sheathed i sit and think of you the holy city which is your face your little cheeks the streets of smiles your eyes half- thrush half-angel and your drowsy lips where float flowers of kiss and there is the sweet shy pirouette your hair and then your dancesong soul. rarely-beloved a single star is uttered,and i think of you
Authorship:
- by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in XLI Poems, in 1. Songs, no. 8, first published 1925
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Note: this poem entered the public domain in 2021.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
8. Song for lying in bed during a night rain
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Authorship:
- by Kenneth Pitchford , copyright ©
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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.9. Interlude
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Authorship:
- by Theodore Roethke (1908 - 1963), "Interlude", appears in Open House, first published 1941, copyright ©
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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.10. Song for lying in bed during a night rain
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Authorship:
- by Kenneth Pitchford , copyright ©
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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.11. in the rain  [sung text not yet checked]
in the rain- darkness, the sunset being sheathed i sit and think of you the holy city which is your face your little cheeks the streets of smiles your eyes half- thrush half-angel and your drowsy lips where float flowers of kiss and there is the sweet shy pirouette your hair and then your dancesong soul. rarely-beloved a single star is uttered,and i think of you
Authorship:
- by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in XLI Poems, in 1. Songs, no. 8, first published 1925
Go to the single-text view
Note: this poem entered the public domain in 2021.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
12. Do I love you more than a day?  [sung text checked 1 time]
Do I love you more than a day? [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by Jack Larson , copyright ©
See other settings of this text.
This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.13. The apparition
— This text is not currently
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Authorship:
- by Theodore Roethke (1908 - 1963), "The apparition", appears in The Far Field, first published 1964, copyright ©
Go to the single-text view
This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.14. Love's stricken 'why'  [sung text not yet checked]
Love's stricken, "why" Is all that love can speak -- Built of but just a syllable The hugest hearts that break.
Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Letters of Emily Dickinson, first published 1894
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]15. The air is the only
— This text is not currently
in the database but will be added
as soon as we obtain it. —
Authorship:
- by Howard Moss (1922 - 1987), "Song", from The Toy Fair, first published 1954, copyright ©
Go to the single-text view
This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.16. Stop all the clocks  [sung text not yet checked]
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crêpe [bows]1 round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love [would]2 last for ever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now: put out every one, Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun, Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods; For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Authorship:
- by W. H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden (1907 - 1973), no title, appears in The Ascent of F6, first published 1936
See other settings of this text.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
View original text (without footnotes)1 Britten: "bands"
2 Britten: "could"
Researcher for this page: David K. Smythe
17. Epiglogue: From The Rain
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Authorship:
- by Donald Windham , copyright ©
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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.