by Matthew Arnold (1822 - 1888)
West London
Language: English
Crouch'd on the pavement, close by Belgrave Square, A tramp I saw, ill, moody, and tongue-tied. A babe was in her arms, and at her side A girl; their clothes were rags, their feet were bare. Some labouring men, whose work lay somewhere there, Pass'd opposite; She touch'd her girl, who hied Across, and begg'd and came back satisfied. The rich she had let pass with a frozen stare. Thought I: Above her state this spirit towers; She will not ask of Aliens, but of friends, Of sharers in a common human fate. She turns from the cold succour, which attends The unknown little from the unknowing great, And points us to a better time than ours'.
Authorship:
- by Matthew Arnold (1822 - 1888), "West London", appears in New Poems, first published 1867 [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 Charles Edward Ives (1874 - 1954), "West London", subtitle: "A Sonnet", 1921. [voice and piano] [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: 14
Word count: 117