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by James Russell Lowell (1819 - 1891)

From the close‑shut windows gleams no...
Language: English 
From the close-shut windows gleams no spark,
The night is chilly, the night is dark,
The poplars shiver, the pine-trees moan,
My hair by the autumn breeze is blown,
Under thy window I sing alone,
Alone, alone, ah woe! alone!

The darkness is pressing coldly around,
The windows shake with a lonely sound,
The stars are hid and the night is drear,
The heart of silence throbs in thine ear,
In thy chamber thou sittest alone,
Alone, alone, ah woe! alone!

The world is happy, the world is wide.
Kind hearts are beating on every side;
Ah, why should we lie so coldly curled
Alone in the shell of this great world?
Why should we any more be alone?
Alone, alone, ah woe! alone!

Oh, 'tis a bitter and dreary word,
The saddest by man's ear ever heard!
We each are young, we each have a heart,
Why stand we ever coldly apart?
Must we forever, then, be alone?
Alone, alone, ah woe! alone!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by James Russell Lowell (1819 - 1891), "Serenade", appears in A Year's Life, first published 1841 [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 Francis Boott (1813 - 1904), "From the Close Shut Window", published 1857 [voice and chorus ad libitum with piano], from Florence, no. 6. [
     text not verified 
    ]
  • by George Boweryem , "Alone! Alone!", published 1864. [medium voice, piano] [
     text not verified 
    ]
  • by George W. Marston (1840 - 1901), "From the Close Shut Window", published 1877. [baritone or contralto, piano] [
     text not verified 
    ]
  • by Elizabeth Philp (1827 - 1885), "Alone", published c1855. [
     text not verified 
    ]
  • by Elizabeth Philp (1827 - 1885), "Serenade", published c1855, from Six Songs [
     text not verified 
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2005-05-07
Line count: 24
Word count: 164

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