There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; And frogs in the pools singing at night, And wild plum trees in tremulous white; Robins will wear their feath'ry fire Whistling their whims on a low fence wire; And not one will know of the war, not one Will care at last when it is done. Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree If mankind perished utterly; And Spring herself, when she awoke at dawn, Would scarcely know that we were gone.
From the Heart: Three American Women - Three from Sara
Song Cycle by Garth Baxter (b. 1946)
1. There will come soft rains  [sung text checked 1 time]
Language: English
Authorship:
- by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), appears in Flame and Shadow, first published 1920
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Researcher for this page: Garth Baxter2. The Inn of Earth  [sung text checked 1 time]
Language: English
I came to the crowded Inn of Earth, And called for a cup of wine, But the Host went by with averted eye From a thirst as keen as mine. Then I sat down with weariness And asked a bit of bread, But the Host went by with averted eye And never a word he said. While always from the outer night The waiting souls came in With stifled cries of sharp surprise At all the light and din. "Then give me a bed to sleep", I said, "For midnight comes apace" But the Host went by with averted eye And I never saw his face. "Since there is neither food nor rest, I go where I fared before" But the Host went by with averted eye And barred the outer door.
Authorship:
- by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), "The Inn of Earth", appears in Rivers to the Sea, first published 1915
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Researcher for this page: Garth Baxter3. February twilight  [sung text checked 1 time]
Language: English
I stood beside a hill Smooth with new-laid snow, A single star looked out From the cold evening glow. There was no other creature That saw what I could see I stood and watched the evening star As long as it watched me.
Authorship:
- by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), "February twilight", appears in Dark of the Moon, in Berkshire Notes, first published 1926
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Crépuscule de février", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Dämmrung im Februar", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Total word count: 267