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Five Settings for Soprano and Piano

Song Cycle by David Nathaniel Baker, Jr. (b. 1931)

2. The smile  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
There is a smile of love, 
[and]1 there is a smile of deceit; 
and there is a smile of smiles, 
in which these two smiles meet. 
And there is a frown of hate, 
and there is a frown of disdain; 
and there is a frown of frowns 
which you strive to forget in vain, 
For it sticks in the heart's deep core, 
and it sticks in the deep backbone.
And no smile that ever was smiled, 
but only one smile alone -- 
That betwixt the cradle and grave 
it only once smiled can be, 
but when it once is smiled 
there's an end to all misery.

Text Authorship:

  • by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "The smile"

See other settings of this text.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 omitted by Mitchell.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Total word count: 106
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