by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889)
The moth's kiss, first!
Language: English
The moth's kiss, first! Kiss me as if you made me believe You were not sure, this eve, How my face, your flower, had pursed Its petals up; so, here and there You brush it, till I grow aware Who wants me, and wide ope I burst. The bee's kiss, now! Kiss me as if you enter'd gay My heart at some noonday, A bud that dares not disallow The claim, so all is render'd up, And passively its shatter'd cup Over your head to sleep I bow.
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Text Authorship:
- by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889), no title, appears in Bells and Pomegranates, first published 1842 [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 Alice Barnett (1886 - 1975), "The moth's kiss", published 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from In a gondola, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Martinus Hartmann (1881 - 1956), "In a gondola", published 1911 [ voice and piano ], from Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Maarten Komter (1905 - 1984), "In a gondola", published 1963 [ voice and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022), "In a gondola", published 1963 [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], from Six Songs for High Voice, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bryceson Treharne (1879 - 1948), "In a gondola", published 1921 [ high voice and piano ], from Lyrical Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Latham True (1874 - 1945), "The moth's kiss and the bee's kiss", published 1932 [ high voice and piano ], from Browning songs [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 88