by Ebenezer Elliott (1781 - 1849)
Dark, deep, and cold the current flows
Language: English
Dark, deep, and cold the current flows Unto the sea where no wind blows, Seeking the land which no one knows. O'er its sad gloom still comes and goes The mingled wail of friends and foes, Borne to the land which no one knows. Why shrieks for help yon wretch, who goes With millions, from a world of woes, Unto the land which no one knows? Though myriads go with him who goes, Alone he goes where no wind blows, Unto the land which no one knows. For all must go where no wind blows, And none can go for him who goes; None, none return whence no one knows. Yet why should he who shrieking goes With millions, from a world of woes, Reunion seek with it or those? Alone with God, where no wind blows, And Death, his shadow - doom'd, he goes. That God is there the shadow shows. O shoreless Deep, where no wind blows! And thou, O Land which no one knows! That God is All, His shadow shows.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Ebenezer Elliott (1781 - 1849), "Plaint" [author's text checked 1 time 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 Ellen Dickson (1819 - 1878), as Dolores, "The land which no one knows", published 1862 [ voice and piano ], London [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-07-07
Line count: 24
Word count: 173