by Sarojini Naidu (1879 - 1949)
The serpents are asleep among the...
Language: English
The serpents are asleep among the poppies, The fireflies light the soundless panther's way To tangled paths where shy gazelles are straying, And parrot-plumes outshine the dying day. O soft! the lotus-buds upon the stream Are stirring like sweet maidens when they dream. A caste-mark on the azure brows of Heaven, The golden moon burns sacred, solemn, bright, The winds are dancing in the forest-temple, And swooning at the holy feet of Night. Hush! in the silence mystic voices sing And make the gods their incense-offering.
L. Lehmann sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Sarojini Naidu, The Golden Threshold, London: William Heinemann, 1905.
Text Authorship:
- by Sarojini Naidu (1879 - 1949), "Leili", appears in The Golden Threshold, in 3. Poems [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 Liza Lehmann (1862 - 1918), "The Serpents are Asleep", published 1907, stanza 1 [ alto and orchestra ], from The Golden Threshold : An Indian Song-Garland , no. 5, London: Boosey & Co. [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-08-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 86