by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956)
The birthnight
Language: English
Dearest, it was a night That in its darkness racked Orion's stars; A sighing wind ran faintly white Along the willows, and the cedar boughs Laid their wide hands in stealthy peace across The starry silence of their antique moss: No sound save rushing air Cold, yet all sweet with Spring, And in thy mother's arms, couched weeping there, Thou, lovely thing.
Text Authorship:
- by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956), "The birthnight", from Poems, subsequently revised, first published 1906 [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 Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "The birthnight", op. 13a no. 4, published 1965 [ low voice and piano ], from To a poet, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 62