but the other
day i was passing a certain
gate       rain
fell       as it will

in spring 
ropes 
of silver gliding from sunny 
thunder into freshness 

as if god's flowers were 
pulling upon bells of 
gold       i looked 
up 

and 
thought to myself       death 
and will You with 
elaborate fingers possibly touch 

the pink hollyhock existence whose 
pansy eyes look from morning till 
night into the street 
unchangingly       the always 

old lady sitting in her 
gentle window like 
a reminiscence 
partaken 

softly       at whose gate smile 
always the chosen 
flowers of reminding

About the headline (FAQ)

First published as "but the other," number "III" of Five Poems in The Dial, Volume 68, Number 5 (May 1920).

Text Authorship:

• by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in Tulips and Chimneys, in 1. Tulips, in 7. Portraits, no. 6, first published 1920 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "but the other", 2008 [ low voice or medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "but the other", 2016, copyright © 2018, first performed 2018 [ soprano, unaccompanied ], from In Spring -- 3 Songs for Unaccompanied Soprano on Poems by E. E. Cummings, no. 2, E. C. Schirmer Music Company, Inc., a division of ECS Publishing Group [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-05
Line count: 27
Word count: 92