by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962)
when god lets my body be
Language: English
when god lets my body be From each brave eye shall sprout a tree fruit that dangles therefrom the purpled world will dance upon Between my lips which did sing a rose shall beget the spring that maidens whom passion wastes will lay between their little breasts My strong fingers beneath the snow Into strenuous birds shall go my love walking in the grass their wings will touch with her face and all the while shall my heart be With the bulge and nuzzle of the sea
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in Tulips and Chimneys, in 1. Tulips, in 1. Songs, no. 6, first published 1923 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "when god lets my body be", 2004 [ tenor or baritone and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by William Laurence Bergsma (1921 - 1994), "when god lets my body be", published 1947 [ high voice and piano ], from Six Songs to Poems by E. E. Cummings, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dan Welcher (b. 1948), "when god lets my body be", from Seven Songs, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-05-04
Line count: 14
Word count: 88