by John Clare (1793 - 1864)
The evening primrose Matches original text
Language: English
When once the sun sinks in the west, And dew-drops pearl the Evening's breast; Almost as pale as moonbeams are, Or its companionable star, The Evening Primrose opes anew Its delicate blossoms to the dew; And hermit-like, shunning the light, Wastes its fair bloom upon the Night; Who, blindfold to its fond caresses, Knows not the beauty he possesses. Thus it blooms on while Night is by; When Day looks out with open eye, 'Bashed at the gaze it cannot shun, It faints, and withers, and is gone.
Composition:
- Set to music by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "The evening primrose", 1950, published 1951 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Five Flower Songs, no. 4
Text Authorship:
- by John Clare (1793 - 1864), "Evening Primrose", appears in The Rural Muse, in Sonnets, no. 37, first published 1835
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Pauline Kroger) , "De teunisbloem", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Nachtkerzen", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 88