So long had he withheld his hands, She found him slow to learn: The way a breast, a thigh, can yield; The way snow can burn. You thought me once a goddess, boy, And so I am, she said; Desire like this is not of earth: More, and we both were dead. Oh, no, he cried; but even then, Like one brand ablaze, They broke and fell, and each went out As stars extinguish days.
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Authorship:
- by Mark van Doren (1894 - 1972) [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 Scott Wheeler (b. 1952), "Desire Like This", 1991/1994 [ baritone or tenor and piano ], from Serenata, no. 4, Scott Wheeler Music [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Eric Saroian
This text was added to the website: 2022-05-17
Line count: 12
Word count: 75