by John Masefield (1878 - 1967)
It's a warm wind, the west wind, full of...
Language: English
It's a warm wind, the west wind, full of birds' cries; I never hear the west wind but tears are in my eyes. For it comes from the west lands, the old brown hills. And April's in the west wind, and daffodils. It's a fine land, the west land, for hearts as tired as mine, Apple orchards blossom there, and the air's like wine. There is cool green grass there, where men may lie at rest, And the thrushes are in song there, fluting from the nest. "Will ye not come home brother? ye have been long away, It's April, and blossom time, and white is the may; And bright is the sun brother, and warm is the rain,-- Will ye not come home, brother, home to us again? "The young corn is green, brother, where the rabbits run. It's blue sky, and white clouds, and warm rain and sun. It's song to a man's soul, brother, fire to a man's brain, To hear the wild bees and see the merry spring again. "Larks are singing in the west, brother, above the green wheat, So will ye not come home, brother, and rest your tired feet? I've a balm for bruised hearts, brother, sleep for aching eyes," Says the warm wind, the west wind, full of birds' cries. It's the white road westwards is the road I must tread To the green grass, the cool grass, and rest for heart and head, To the violets, and the warm hearts, and the thrushes' song, In the fine land, the west land, the land where I belong.
About the headline (FAQ)
First published as "There's a wind a-blowing" in Speaker, June 1902Text Authorship:
- by John Masefield (1878 - 1967), "The west wind", appears in Salt Water Ballads, first published 1902 [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 C. Alison-Crompton , "The west wind", published 1918 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Walter Gaze Cooper (b. 1895), "The west wind", op. 41 [ soprano, SATB chorus (humming), and orchestra ], from Symphony no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Milton Cundick (b. 1926), "The west wind", published 1964 [ TTBB chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Earle Mitchell (1895 - 1967), "The white road westward", published <<1940 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Humphrey Procter-Gregg (1895 - 1980), "The west wind" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Reginald Redman (1892 - 1972), "The west wind", published 1937 [ SSA chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cyril Bradley Rootham (1875 - 1938), "The west wind", published 1923 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Douglas MacDonald Stewart (1892 - ?), "The west wind", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-21
Line count: 24
Word count: 265