Poems of Love and the Rain

Song Cycle by Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022)

1. Prologue: From The Rain

Language: English 
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2. Stop all the clocks  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
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.

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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.

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1 Britten: "bands"
2 Britten: "could"

Researcher for this page: David K. Smythe

3. The air is the only

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  • by Howard Moss (1922 - 1987), "Song", from The Toy Fair, first published 1954, copyright ©

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4. Love's stricken 'why'  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Love's stricken, "why"
Is all that love can speak --
Built of but just a syllable
The hugest hearts that break.

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5. The apparition

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6. Do I love you more than a day?
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Do I love you more than a day?
 [ ... ]

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7. in the rain  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
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

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

8. Song for lying in bed during a night rain

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9. Interlude

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10. Song for lying in bed during a night rain

Language: English 
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11. in the rain  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
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

Text Authorship:

Go to the general 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)

Language: English 
Do I love you more than a day?
 [ ... ]

Text Authorship:

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13. The apparition

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14. Love's stricken 'why'  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Love's stricken, "why"
Is all that love can speak --
Built of but just a syllable
The hugest hearts that break.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

15. The air is the only

Language: English 
— This text is not currently
in the database but will be added
as soon as we obtain it. —

Text Authorship:

  • by Howard Moss (1922 - 1987), "Song", from The Toy Fair, first published 1954, copyright ©

Go to the general 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]

Language: English 
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.

Text Authorship:

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

Language: English 
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Total word count: 542