Pity me not because the light of day At close of day no longer walks the sky; Pity me not for beauties passed away From field and thicket as the the year goes by; Pity me not the waning of the moon, Nor that the ebbing tide goes out to sea, Nor that a man's desire is hushed so soon, And you no longer look with love on me. This have I known always: Love is no more Than the wide blossom which the wind assails, Than the great tide that treads the shifting shore, Strewing fresh wreckage gathered in the gales: Pity me that the heart is slow to learn What the swift mind beholds at ever turn.
I Will Breath a Mountain: A Song Cycle from American Women Poets
Song Cycle by William Bolcom (b. 1938)
1. Pity me not because the light of day
Language: English
Text Authorship:
- by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950), appears in The Harp-Weaver and other poems, first published 1923
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]2. How to swing those obbligatos around
Language: English
He had shag hair & a boutique [ ... ]
Text Authorship:
- by Alice Fulton (b. 1952), 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.3. The crazy woman
Language: English
I shall not sing a May song [ ... ]
Text Authorship:
- by Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917 - 2000), 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. Just once
Language: English
Just once I knew what life was for [ ... ]
Text Authorship:
- by Anne Sexton (1928 - 1974), "Just once", 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.5. Never more will the wind
Language: English
Never more will the wind cherish you again, never more will the rain. Never more shall we find you bright in the snow and wind. The snow is melted, the snow is gone, and you are flown: Like a bird out of our hand, like a light out of our heart, you are gone.
Text Authorship:
- by Hilda Doolittle (1886 - 1961)
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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.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]6. The sage
Language: English
The cat is eating the roses [ ... ]
Text Authorship:
- by Denise Levertov (1923 - 1997), 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. O to be a dragon
Language: English
If I, like Solomon, [ ... ]
Text Authorship:
- by Marianne Moore (1887 - 1972), "O to be a dragon", from O to Be a Dragon, first published 1959, 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.8. The bustle in a house
Language: English
The bustle in a house The morning after death Is solemnest of industries Enacted upon earth, - The sweeping up the heart, And putting love away We shall not want to use again Until eternity.
Text Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, first published 1890
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
9. I saw Eternity
Language: English
O beautiful Forever! O grandiose Everlasting! Now, now, now, I break you into pieces, I feed you to the ground. O brilliant, O languishing Cycle of weeping light! The mice and birds will eat you And you will spoil their stomachs As you have spoiled my mind. Here, mice, rats, Porcupines and toads, Moles, shrews, squirrels, Weasels, turtles, lizards,-- Here's a bright Everlasting! Here's a crumb of Forever! Here's a crumb of Forever!
Text Authorship:
- by Louise Bogan (1897 - 1970), "I saw Eternity"
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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.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]10. Night practice
Language: English
will/ remember [ ... ]
Text Authorship:
- by Anna Thilda May "May" Swenson (1913 - 1989), "Night practice", 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. The fish
Language: English
I caught a tremendous fish [ ... ]
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Bishop (1911 - 1979), 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.Total word count: 1218