by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956)

Language: English 
Sweep thy faint strings, Musician,
  With thy long, lean hand;
Downward the starry tapers burn,
  Sinks soft the waning sand;
The old hound whimpers couched in sleep,
  The embers smoulder low;
Across the wall the shadows
    Come, and go.

Sweep softly thy strings, Musician,
  The minutes mount to hours;
Frost on the windless casement weaves
  A labyrinth of flowers;
Ghosts linger in the darkening air,
  Hearken at the open door;
Music hath brought them, dreaming,
    Home once more.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Peacock Pie. A Book of Rhymes by Walter de la Mare, London: Constable & Co. Ltd., [1920], p. 176.

Composition:

    Set to music by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960), "A song of shadows", op. 15 (Three Songs) no. 3, published 1922, copyright © 1922, first performed 1918 [ voice and piano ], Boosey & Hawkes

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 78