by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
Whispers of heavenly death Matches original text
Language: English
Whispers of heavenly death murmur'd I hear, Labial gossip of night, sibilant chorals, Footsteps gently ascending, mystical breezes wafted soft and low, Ripples of unseen rivers, tides of a current flowing, forever flowing, (Or is it the plashing of tears? the measureless waters of human tears?) I see, just see skyward, great cloud-masses, Mournfully slowly they roll, silently swelling and mixing, With at times a half-dimm'd sadden'd far-off star, Appearing and disappearing. (Some parturition rather, some solemn immortal birth; On the frontiers to eyes impenetrable, Some soul is passing over.)
Composition:
- Set to music by Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "Whispers of heavenly death", alternate title: "Whispers", c1927, published 1930 [ voice and piano ], from Songs at Parting: A Selection of Walt Whitman's Poems, no. 7
Text Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), "Whispers of Heavenly Death", appears in Leaves of Grass
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ahmed E. Ismail
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 90