by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950)

What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why
 (Sung text for setting by J. Dove)
 Matches base text
Language: English 
Our translations:  FRI GER
What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Upon the glass and listen for reply,
And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry.
Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,
Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
A little while, that in me sings no more.
First published in Vanity Fair, November 1920

Composition:

    Set to music by Jonathan Dove (b. 1959), "What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why", 2015, first performed 2015 [ voice and piano ], from Nights Not Spent Alone, no. 2, confirmed with a concert programme booklet

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRI Frisian [singable] (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , "Welch' Lippen meine küßten ( 43. Sonett )", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Robert Manno

This text was added to the website: 2005-06-08
Line count: 14
Word count: 116