by Stevie Smith (1903 - 1971)

Language: English 
I sigh for the heavenly country,
Where the heavenly people pass,
And the sea is as quiet as a mirror
Of beautiful beautiful glass.

I walk in the heavenly field,
With lilies and poppies bright,
I am dressed in a heavenly coat
Of polished white.

When I walk in the heavenly parkland
My feet on the pasture are bare,
Tall waves the grass, but no harmful
Creature is there.

At night I fly over the housetops,
And stand on the bright moony beams;
Gold are all heaven’s rivers,
And silver her streams.

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Composition:

    Set to music by John Bartlett (b. 1949), "The Heavenly City", 2024 [ voice and piano ]

Text Authorship:

  • by Stevie Smith (1903 - 1971), "The Heavenly City", first published 1942

See other settings of this text.


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2024-03-04
Line count: 16
Word count: 92