by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889)
Runnels, which rillets swell See original
Language: English
... II. Runnels, which rillets swell, Must be dancing down the dell, With a foaming head On the beryl bed Paven smooth as a hermit's cell; Each with a tale to tell, Could my Love but attend as well. III. Dearest, three months ago! When we lived blocked-up with snow,--- When the wind would edge In and in his wedge, In, as far as the point could go--- Not to our ingle, though, Where we loved each the other so! ... VII. Try, will our table turn? Lay your hands there light, and yearn Till the yearning slips Thro' the finger-tips In a fire which a few discern, And a very few feel burn, And the rest, they may live and learn! ... IX. See, how she looks now, dressed In a sledging-cap and vest! 'Tis a huge fur cloak--- Like a reindeer's yoke Falls the lappet along the breast: Sleeves for her arms to rest, Or to hang, as my Love likes best.
Composition:
- Set to music by Douglas Gordon Weiland (b. 1954), "Runnels, which rillets swell", op. 10 (Five First Songs) no. 2, stanzas 2,3,7,9 [ soprano and piano ]
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889), "A lovers' quarrel", appears in Men and Women, first published 1855
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-10-24
Line count: 176
Word count: 868