by Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849)
To one in Paradise
Language: English
Thou wast all that to me, love,
For which my soul did pine --
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.
Ah, dream too bright to last!
Ah, starry Hope! that didst arise
But to be overcast!
A voice from out the Future cries,
"On! on!" -- but o'er the Past
(Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies
Mute, motionless, aghast!
For, alas! alas! with me
The light of Life is o'er!
No more -- no more -- no more --
(Such language holds the solemn sea
To the sands upon the shore)
Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree,
Or the stricken eagle soar!
And all my days are trances,
And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy gray eye glances,
And where thy footsteps gleams --
In what ethereal dances,
By what eternal streams.
Text Authorship:
- by Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849), "To one in Paradise", appears in The Raven and Other Poems, first published 1845 [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 John Herbert Foulds (1880 - 1939), "To one in Paradise", op. 11 no. 3 (1938) [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Three Songs of Beauty, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Percival Garratt (1877 - 1953), "To one in Paradise", op. 58 (Three Songs) no. 2, published 1904 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Derek Healey (b. 1936), "To One in Paradise", op. 14 no. 2 (1961) [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Six American Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by George W. Marston (1840 - 1901), "To one in Paradise", published 1976 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leland "Lee" S(tanford) Roberts (1885? - 1949), "To one in Paradise", published 1920 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Sullivan, Sir (1842 - 1900), "To one in Paradise", published 1904 [ tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-09-25
Line count: 26
Word count: 145