by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956)

Language: English 
 What lovely things
   Thy hand hath made,
 The smooth-plumed bird
   In its emerald shade,
 The seed of the grass,
   The speck of stone
 Which the wayfaring ant
  Stirs - and hastes on!

 Though I should sit
 By some tarn  ... ,
 Using its ink
 As the spirit wills
 To write of Earth's wonders,
 Its live, willed things,
 Flit would the ages
 On soundless wings
 Ere unto Z
 My pen drew nigh;
 Leviathan told,
 And the honey-fly;
 And still would remain
 My wit to try -
 My worn reeds broken,
 The  ...  tarn dry,
 All words forgotten -
 Thou, Lord, and I.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.

Composition:

Text Authorship:

  • by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956), "The scribe", from Motley and Other Poems, first published 1918

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: 26
Word count: 99