by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
Mezzo Cammin
Language: English
Half of my life is gone, and I have let The years slip from me and have not fulfilled The aspiration of my youth, to build Some tower of song with lofty parapet. Not indolence, nor pleasure, nor the fret Of restless passions that would not be stilled, But sorrow, and a care that almost killed, Kept me from what I may accomplish yet; Though, half-way up the hill, I see the Past Lying beneath me with its sounds and sights,— A city in the twilight dim and vast, With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights,— And hear above me on the autumnal blast The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights.
Text Authorship:
- by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), first published 1845 [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 Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961), "Mezzo Cammin", op. 57 no. 2 (1997) [ high voice and piano ], from Six Songs on Poems by Henry W. Longfellow, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Paul Moravec (b. 1957), "Mezzo Cammin", from Vita Brevis, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-06-20
Line count: 14
Word count: 114