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by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)

In a garden
 (Sung text for setting by M. Lang)
 See original
Language: English 
Baby, see the flowers!
 -- Baby sees
Fairer things than these,
Fairer though they be than dreams of ours.

Baby, hear the birds!
 -- Baby knows
Better songs than those,
Sweeter though they be than sweetest words.

Baby, see the moon!
 -- Baby's eyes
Laugh to see it rise,
Answering light with love and night with noon.

 ... 
 -- Baby's face
Takes a graver grace,
Touched with wonder what the sound may be.

 ... 

Baby, hear the bells!
 -- Baby's head
Bows, as ripe for bed,
Now the flowers curl round and close their cells.

Baby, flower of light,
Sleep, and see
Brighter dreams than we,
Till good day shall smile away good night.

First published in English Illustrated Magazine, December 1886

Composition:

    Set to music by Margaret Ruthven Lang (1867 - 1972), "In a garden", first performed 1891, stanzas 1-4,6-7 [ voice and piano ]

Text Authorship:

  • by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), "In a garden", appears in Poems and Ballads, Third Series, first published 1889

See other settings of this text.


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-27
Line count: 28
Word count: 133

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