by Hilda Doolittle (1886 - 1961)

Language: English 
The night has cut
each from each
and curled the petals
back from the stalk
and under it in crisp rows;
under at an unfaltering pace,
under till the rinds break,
back till each bent leaf
is parted from its stalk;
under at a grave pace,
under till the leaves
are bent back
till they drop upon earth,
back till they are all broken.
O night,
you take the petals
of the roses in your hand,
but leave the stark core
of the rose
to perish on the branch.

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.

Composition:

    Set to music by Michael Ippolito (b. 1985), "Night", 2018 [ soprano and piano ], from Vanitas, no. 6, confirmed with a score

Text Authorship:

Go to the general single-text view


Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-08-19
Line count: 20
Word count: 89