by Edith Sitwell (1887 - 1964)
Switchback
Language: English
By the blue wooden sea- Curling laboriously, Coral and amber grots (Cherries and apricots) Ribbons of noisy heat Binding them head and feet, Horses as fat as plums Snort as each bumpkin comes. Giggles like towers of glass (Pink and blue spirals) pass, Oh how the Vacancy Laughed at them rushing by. "Turn again, flesh and brain, Only yourselves again! How far above the ape Differing in each shape, You with your regular Meaningless circles are!"
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), "Switchback", 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: 18
Word count: 76