by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)
Aloof
Language: English
The irresponsive silence of the land, The irresponsive sounding of the sea, Speak both one message of one sense to me:-- Aloof, aloof, we stand aloof, so stand Thou too aloof, bound with the flawless band Of inner solitude; we bind not thee; But who from thy self-chain shall set thee free? What heart shall touch thy heart? What hand thy hand? And I am sometimes proud and sometimes meek, And sometimes I remember days of old When fellowship seem'd not so far to seek, And all the world and I seem'd much less cold, And at the rainbow's foot lay surely gold, And hope felt strong, and life itself not weak.
Text Authorship:
- by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894) [author's text not yet checked 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 Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "Aloof", 1991 [voice and piano], from 4 Victorian Songs, no. 1. [text verified 1 time]
- by Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "Aloof", 1988, first performed 1988 [soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello], from 5 Victorian Songs, no. 1. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-08-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 112