by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822)
The keen stars were twinkling See original
Language: English
The keen stars were twinkling
And the fair moon was rising among them,
Dear Jane:
The harp was tinkling,
But the notes were not clear till you sang them
Again.
As the moon's soft splendor
O'er the faint cold starlight of heaven
Is thrown,
So your voice most tender
To the strings without soul had then given
Its own.
The stars will awaken,
Though the moon sleep a full hour later,
Tonight;
No leaf will be shaken
Whilst the dews of your melody scatter
Delight.
Though the sound overpowers,
Sing again, with your dear voice revealing
A tone
Of some world far from ours
Where music and moonlight and feeling
Are one.
Note: The Trelawny manuscript is headed "To Jane"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Composition:
- Set to music by Richard Bruce Faith (b. 1926), "The keen stars were twinkling"
Text Authorship:
- by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822), "To -----", first published 1839
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 116