Out on the lawn I lie in bed, Vega conspicuous overhead In the windless nights of June; Forest of green have done complete The day's activity; my feet Point to the rising moon. Lucky, this point in time and space Is chosen as my working place; Where the sexy air of summer, The bathing hours and the bare arms, The leisured drives through a land of farms, Are good to the newcomer. Equal with colleagues in a ring I sit on each calm evening, Enchanted as the flowers The opening light draws out of hiding From leaves with all its dove-like pleading Its logic and its powers.
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First published in Listener, March 1934Text Authorship:
- by W. H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden (1907 - 1973), "Summer Night" [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Out on the lawn I lie in bed", op. 44 no. 8 (1949) [ soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, mixed chorus, boys' chorus, and orchestra ], from Spring Symphony, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-07-04
Line count: 18
Word count: 107