by Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

Language: English 
Tread lightly, she is near
Under the snow,
Speak gently, she can hear
The daisies grow.

All her bright golden hair
Tarnished with rust,
She that was young and fair
Fallen to dust.

Lily-like, white as snow,
She hardly knew
She was a woman so
Sweetly she grew.

Coffin-board, heavy stone,
Lie on her breast.
I vex my heart alone,
She is at rest.

Peace, Peace, she cannot hear
Lyre or sonnet,
All my life's buried here,
Heap earth upon it.

Composition:

    Set to music by Matthew Emery (b. 1991), "Requiescat", 2011-12, first performed 2012 [ soprano and piano ], from Three Songs of Mourning, no. 2, premiered March 2012 (Part of the Vancouver International Song Institute 2012)

Text Authorship:

  • by Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), "Requiescat", from Poems, first published 1881

See other settings of this text.


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 81