Desire, op. 13

Song Cycle by Robert Owens (1925 - 2017)

1. Desire
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Desire to us
Was like a double death,
Swift dying
Of our mingled breath,
Evaporation
Of an unknown strange perfume
Between us quickly
In a naked
Room.

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2. Dream
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Last night I dreamt this most strange dream and everywhere I saw
What did not seem could ever be: You were not there with me!
Awake, I turned and touched you asleep, face to the wall.
I said How dreams can lie! But you were not there at all!

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3. Juliet  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Wonder
And pain
And terror,
And sick silly songs,
Of sorrow,
And the marrow
Of the bone
Of life
Are smeared across
Her mouth.

The road
From Verona
To Mantova
Is dusty
With the drought.

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4. Man  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
I was a boy then.
I did not understand --
I thought that friendship lay
In the grip of hand to hand.
I thought that love must be
Her body close to mine.
I thought that drunkenness
Was real --
In wine.

But I was a boy then,
I didn't understand
The things a young lad
Learns so soon
When he's
A man.

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Total word count: 172