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by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 - 1889)

Henry Purcell
 (Sung text for setting by V. Fine)
 See original
Language: English 
Have, fair fallen, O fair, fair have fallen, so dear
To me, so arch-especial a spirit as heaves in Henry Purcell,
An age is now since passed, since parted; with the reversal
Of the outward sentence low lays him, listed to a heresy, here.

Not mood in him nor meaning, proud fire or sacred fear,
Or love or pity or all that sweet notes not his might nursle:
It is the forgèd feature finds me; it is the rehearsal
Of own, of abrupt self there so thrusts on, so throngs the ear.

Let him Oh! with his air of angels then lift me, lay me! only I’ll
Have an eye to the sakes of him, quaint moonmarks, to his palked plumage under
Wings: so some great stormfount, whichever he has walked his while

The thunder-purple seabeach plumèd purple-of-thunder,
If a withering of his palmy snow-pinions scatter a colossal smile
Off him, but meaning motion fans fresh our wits with wonder.

Composition:

    Set to music by Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "Henry Purcell", 1984 [ voice and string quartet ], from Ode to Henry Purcell, no. 4

Text Authorship:

  • by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 - 1889), "Henry Purcell", written 1879

See other settings of this text.


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2014-08-20
Line count: 14
Word count: 163

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