Green wooden leaves clap fight away, Severely practical, as they Shelter the children, candy-pale, The chestnut-candles flicker, fail...... The showman's face is cubed clear as The shapes reflected in a glass Of water - (glog, glut, a ghost's speech Fumbling for space from each to each). The fusty showman fumbles, must Fit in a particle of dust The universe, for fear it gain Its freedom from my box of brain. Yet dust hears seeds that grow to grace Behind my crude-striped wooden face. As I, a puppet tinsel-pink, Leap on my springs, learn how to think, Then like the trembling golden stalk Of some long-petalled star, I walk Through the dark heavens until dew Falls on my eyes and sense thrills through.
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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), "Springing Jack", 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: 121