by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
A sight in camp in the daybreak grey and...
Language: English
A sight in camp in the daybreak grey and dim, As from my tent I emerge so early, sleepless, As slow I walk in the cool fresh air the path near by the hospital tent, Three forms I see on stretchers lying, brought out there untended lying, Over each the blanket spread, ample brownish woollen blanket, Grey and heavy blanket, folding, covering all. Curious I halt and silent stand, Then with light fingers I from the face of the nearest, the first, just lift the blanket; Who are you, elderly man so gaunt and grim, with well-grey'd hair, and flesh all sunken about the eyes? Who are you my dear comrade? Then to the second I step - and who are you my child and darling? Who are you sweet boy with cheeks yet blooming? Then to the third - a face nor child nor old, very calm, as of beautiful yellow-white ivory; Young man I think I know you - I think this face is the face of Christ Himself, Dead and divine and brother of all, and here again He lies.
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Text Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), "A sight in camp in the daybreak grey and dim" [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 Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "And who are you?", 196-? [ voice and piano ], note: may be wrong text for this title [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rutland Boughton (1878 - 1960), "A sight in camp", c1908 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Robert) Ernest Bryson (1867 - 1942), "A sight in camp", published 1919 [ mixed chorus, ad lib side drum, organ, brass, strings ], from Drum Taps [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Jackson Cumming (b. 1928), "A sight in camp", 1963, published 1969 [ medium voice and piano ], from We Happy Few, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dom Thomas Symons (1887 - 1975), "A sight in camp", published 1928 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Pearson Thomas (b. 1957), "A sight in camp in the daybreak gray and dim", from Drum Taps, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 25
Word count: 180