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by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)

The Windmill
 (Sung text for setting by R. Stöhr)
 See original
Language: English 
Behold! a giant am I!
  Aloft here in my tower,
  With my granite jaws I devour
The maize, and the wheat, and the rye,
  And grind them into flour. 

I look down over the farm;
  In the fields of grain I see
  The harvest that is to be,
And I fling in the air my arm,
  For I know it is all for me. 

And I hear the sound of flails
  Far off, from the threshing-floors
  In barns, with their open doors,
And the wind, the wind in my sails,
  Louder and louder roars. 

I stand here in my place,
  With my foot on the rock below,
  And whichever way it may blow,
I meet it face to face,
  As a brave man meets his foe. 

And while we wrestle and strive,
  My master, the miller, stands
  And feeds me with his hands;
For he knows who makes him thrive,
  Who makes him lord of lands. 

On Sundays I take my rest;
  Church-going bells begin
  Their low, melodious din;
I cross my arms on my breast,
  And all is peace within.

Composition:

    Set to music by Richard Stöhr (1874 - 1967), "The Windmill", op. 104a (Ten Songs) no. 2 (1944), published 2015 [ voice and piano ], unpublished; manuscript at Saint Michael's College Archives and available in scanned form at the Petrucci Music Library

Text Authorship:

  • by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "The windmill", first published 1880

See other settings of this text.


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2008-06-25
Line count: 30
Word count: 185

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–Emily Ezust, Founder

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