Ass-Face drank The asses' milk of the stars... the millky spirals as they sank From heaven's saloons and golden bars, Made a gown For Columbine, Spirting, down On sands divine By the asses' hide of the sea (With each tide braying free). And the beavers building Babel Beneath each tree's thin beard, Said, "Is it Cain and Abel fighting again we heard?" It is Ass-Face, Ass-Face, Drunk on the milk of the stars, Who will spoil their houses of white lace - Expelled from the golden bars!
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Text Authorship:
- by Edith Sitwell (1887 - 1964), appears in Façade, first published 1922 [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 William Walton (1902 - 1983), "Ass-Face", first performed 1923 [ reciter and instrumental ensemble ], from Façade [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Dan Eggleston
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 86