by William Morris (1834 - 1896)
For the Bed at Kelmscott
Language: English
The wind's on the wold And the night is a-cold, And Thames runs chill 'Twixt mead and hill. But kind and dear Is the old house here And my heart is warm 'Midst winter's harm. Rest then and rest, And think of the best 'Twixt summer and spring, When all birds sing In the town of the tree, And ye in me And scarce dare move, Lest earth and its love Should fade away Ere the full of the day. I am old and have seen Many things that have been; Both grief and peace And wane and increase No tale I tell Of ill or well, But this I say: Night treadeth on day, And for worst or best Right good is rest.
Text Authorship:
- by William Morris (1834 - 1896), "For the Bed at Kelmscott" [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 Tom Cipullo (b. 1960), "For the Bed at Kelmscott", 2009, first performed 2009 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Insomnia, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-11-15
Line count: 28
Word count: 124