by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892)
I dream'd there would be Spring no more
Language: English
I dream'd there would be Spring no more, That Nature's ancient power was lost: The streets were black with smoke and frost, They chatter'd trifles at the door: I wander'd from the noisy town, I found a wood with thorny boughs: I took the thorns to bind my brows, I wore them like a civic crown: I met with scoffs, I met with scorns From youth and babe and hoary hairs: They call'd me in the public squares The fool that wears a crown of thorns: They call'd me fool, they call'd me child: I found an Angel of the night; The voice was low, the look was bright: He look'd upon my crown and smiled: He reach'd the glory of a hand, That seem'd to touch it into leaf: The voice was not the voice of grief, The words were hard to understand.
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Authorship:
- by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), no title, appears in In Memoriam A. H. H. obiit MDCCCXXXIII, no. 69, first published 1850 [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 Huub de Lange (b. 1955), "Angel of the night", published 2007 [ SATB chorus and chamber orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-02-28
Line count: 20
Word count: 144