by Edith Sitwell (1887 - 1964)

By the lake
Language: English 
Across the thick and the pastel snow
Two people go...
"And do you remember
When last we wandered this shore?"
... "Ah, No!
For it is cold-hearted December."
"Dead, the leaves that like asses' ears
hung on the trees
When last we wandered and
squandered joy here;
Now Midas your husband
will listen for these
Whispers - these tears for joy's bier..."
And as they walk,
they seem tall pagodas;
And all the ropes
let down from the cloud
Ring the hard cold bell-buds upon
the trees-codas
Of overtones ecstasies,
grown for love's shroud.

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First published in Chapbook, May 1923

Text Authorship:

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), "By the lake", published 1951, first performed 1923?6 [ reciter, flute (double piccolo), clarinet (contrabass clarinet), trumpet, alto saxophone, violoncello(s), percussion ], 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: 21
Word count: 92