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by Conrad Aiken (1889 - 1973)

April Rain
Language: English 
Fall, rain! You are the blood of coming blossom,
You shall be music in the young birds' throats,
You shall be breaking, soon, in silver notes;
A virgin laughter in the young earth's bosom.
Oh, that I could with you reënter earth,
Pass through her heart and come again to sun,
Out of her fertile dark to sing and run 
In loveliness and fragrance of new mirth!

Fall, rain! Into the dust I go with you,
Pierce the remaining snows with subtle fire,
Warming the frozen roots with soft desire,
Dreams of ascending leaves and flowers new.
I am no longer body, -- I am blood
Seeking for some new loveliness of shape;
Dark loveliness that dreams of new escape,
The sun-surrender of unclosing bud.
Take me, O Earth! and make me what you will;
I feel my heart with mingled music fill.

First published in Atlantic Monthly, 1916, p. 599

Text Authorship:

  • by Conrad Aiken (1889 - 1973), "April rain" [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 Bainbridge Crist (1883 - 1969), "April Rain", published 1915 [voice and piano], from Four Songs, no. 2, New York, C. Fischer [
     text not verified 
    ]
  • by Bainbridge Crist (1883 - 1969), "April Rain", published 1937. [SATB chorus or partsong, piano] [
     text not verified 
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2013-03-14
Line count: 18
Word count: 142

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