by Adela Florence Nicolson (1865 - 1904), as Laurence Hope
You are all that is lovely and light
Language: English
You are all that is lovely and light, Aziza whom I adore, And, waking, after the night, I am weary with dreams of you. Every nerve in my heart is tense and sore As I rise to another morning apart from you. I dream of your luminous eyes, Aziza whom I adore! Of the ruffled silk of your hair, I dream, and the dreams are lies. But I love them, knowing no more Will ever be mine of you Aziza, my life's despair. I would burn for a thousand days, Aziza whom I adore, Be tortured, slain, in unheard of ways If you pitied the pain I bore. You pity! Your bright eyes, fastened on other things, Are keener to sting my soul, than scorpion stings! You are all that is lovely to me, All that is light, One white rose in a Desert of weariness. I only live in the night, The night, with its fair false dreams of you, You and your loveliness. Give me your love for a day, A night, an hour: If the wages of sin are Death I am willing to pay. What is my life but a breath Of passion burning away? Away for an unplucked flower. O Aziza whom I adore, Aziza my one delight, Only one night, I will die before day, And trouble your life no more.
A. Woodforde-Finden sets lines 1-4, 7-13
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Garden of Kama by Laurence Hope, illustrated edition William Heinemann, October 1914, Page 53.
Authorship:
- by Adela Florence Nicolson (1865 - 1904), as Laurence Hope, "Prayer", appears in India's Love Lyrics [later Garden of Kama and Other Love Lyrics from India], London : William Heinemann, first published 1901 [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 Amy Woodforde-Finden (1860 - 1919), "You are all that is lovely", published 1911, lines 1-4,7-13 [ voice and piano ], from Stars of the Desert : Four more Indian Love Lyrics, no. 2, Boosey and Co. [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-01-10
Line count: 36
Word count: 227