Nightsongs

Song Cycle by H. Leslie Adams (b. 1932)

1. Prayer
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
I ask you this:
Which way to go?
I ask you this:
Which sin to bear?
Which crown to put 
Upon my hair?
I do not know, 
Lord God, 
I do not know.

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

2. Drums of Tragedy
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Beat the drums of tragedy for me.
Beat the drums of tragedy and death.
And let the choir sing a stormy song
To drown out the rattle of my dying breath.
Beat the drums of tragedy for me.
And let the white violins whir thin and slow,
But blow one blaring trumpet note of sun
To go with me to the darkness where I go.

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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]

3. The heart of a woman
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
The heart of a woman goes forth with the dawn
As a lone bird, soft winging so restlessly on.
Afar o'er life's turrets and vales does it roam.
In the wake of those echoes, the heart calls home.

The heart of a woman falls back with the night
And enters some alien cage in its plight,
And tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars
While it breaks, breaks on the sheltering bars.

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First published in The Book of American Negro Poetry, 1922.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

4. Night Song
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
The night was made for rest and sleep,
For winds that softly sigh;
It was not made for grief and tears;
So then why do I cry?
The wind that blows through leafy trees
Is soft and warm and sweet;
For me the night is a gracious cloak
To hide my soul's defeat.
Just one dark hour of shaken depths,
Of bitter black despair
Another day will find me brave
And not afraid to dare!

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5. Since You Went Away
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Seems lak to me de stars don't shine so bright,
Seems lak to me de sun done loss his light,
Seems lak to me der's nothin' goin' right,
Sence you went away.

Seems lak to me de sky ain't half so blue,
Seems lak to me dat ev'ything wants you,
Seems lak to me I don't know what to do,
Sence you went away.

Seems lak to me dat ev'ything is wrong,
Seems lak to me de day's jes twice as long,
Seems lak to me de bird's forgot his song,
Sence you went away.

Seems lak to me I jes can't he'p but sigh,
Seems lak to me ma th'oat keeps gittin' dry,
Seems lak to me a tear stays in my eye,
Sence you went away.

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

6. Creole Girl
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
When you dance
 [ ... ]

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Confirmed with Mein dunklen Hände. Moderne Negerlyrik in Original und Nachdichtung, herausgegeben und übertragen von Eva Hesse und Paridam von dem Knesebeck, München: Nymphenburger Verlag, 1953, page 26.


Total word count: 436