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by Humbert Wolfe (1885 - 1940)

You cannot dream
Language: English 
You cannot dream
  things lovelier
than the first love
  I had of her.

Nor air is any
  as magic shaken
as her breath in
  the first kiss taken.

And who, in dreaming,
  understands
her hands stretched like
  a blind man's hands?

Open, trembling,
  wise they were -
You cannot dream
  things lovelier.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Humbert Wolfe (1885 - 1940), "Things lovelier", appears in The Unknown Goddess, first published 1925 [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 Samuel Hans Adler (b. 1928), "Things lovelier", published 1958?9? [SATB chorus a cappella], from Three encore songs [
     text not verified 
    ]
  • by Michael (Dewar) Head (1900 - 1976), "You cannot dream", 1936, published 1936. [tenor and piano] [
     text not verified 
    ]
  • by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "Things lovelier", op. 48 no. 2, H. 174 no. 2 (1929), published 1930 [voice and piano], from Twelve Humbert Wolfe Songs, no. 2. [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 51

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–Emily Ezust, Founder

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