by Herman Melville (1819 - 1891)
One noonday, at my window in the town
Language: English
One noonday, at my window in the town, I saw a sight -- saddest that eyes can see -- Young soldiers marching lustily Unto the wars, With fifes, and flags in mottoed pageantry; While all the porches, walks, and doors Were rich with ladies cheering royally. They moved like Juny morning on the wave, Their hearts were fresh as clover in its prime (It was the breezy summer time), Life throbbed so strong, How should they dream that Death in a rosy clime Would come to thin their shining throng? Youth feels immortal, like the gods sublime. Weeks passed; and at my window, leaving bed, By night I mused, of easeful sleep bereft, On those brave boys (Ah War! thy theft); Some marching feet Found pause at last by cliffs Potomac cleft; Wakeful I mused, while in the street Far footfalls died away till none were left.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesConfirmed with Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War by Hermann Melville, New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, Franklin Square, 1866, pages 28-29.
Authorship:
- by Herman Melville (1819 - 1891), "Ball's Bluff", subtitle: "A reverie", written 1861, appears in Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Joseph Eidson , "Ball's Bluff", 2009 [ baritone, B-flat clarinet, and piano ], from Songs of this War, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961), "Ball's Bluff", op. 7 no. 3 (1981) [ bass and piano or orchestra ], from War Songs, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Paul Phillips , "A reverie", 2008, first performed 2011 [ baritone and piano or orchestra ], from Battle-Pieces, no. 1, Barnard Street Music [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-01-10
Line count: 21
Word count: 145