by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)
The curtains were half drawn, the floor...
Language: English
The curtains were half drawn, the floor was swept And strewn with rushes, rosemary and may Lay thick upon the bed on which I lay, Where through the lattice ivy-shadows crept. He leaned above me, thinking that I slept And could not hear him; but I heard him say, ‘Poor child, poor child’: and as he turned away Came a deep silence, and I knew he wept. He did not touch the shroud, or raise the fold That hid my face, or take my hand in his, Or ruffle the smooth pillows for my head: He did not love me living; but once dead He pitied me; and very sweet it is To know he still is warm though I am cold.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894), "After Death" [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 Joel Balzun (b. 1990), "Poor child", 2009 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Klaus Miehling (b. 1963), "After Death", op. 181 no. 2 (2010), published 2013 [ voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder nach Christina Rossetti, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-09-17
Line count: 14
Word count: 122