by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)
The tune
Language: English
Our translations: FRE
I know a certain tune that my life plays; Over and over I have heard it start With all the wavering loveliness of violas And gain in swiftness like a runners heart. It climbs and climbs; I watch it sway in climbing High over time, high even over doubt, It has all heaven to itself -- it pauses And faltering blindly down the air, goes out.
Confirmed with Sara Teasdale, Dark of The Moon, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1926, page 84.
Text Authorship:
- by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), "The tune", appears in Dark of the Moon, in Arcturus in Autumn, first published 1926 [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 Kirke Mechem (b. 1925), "The tune", published 1965 [SATB chorus a cappella], from The Winds of May, no. 1, G. Schirmer [ sung text not verified ]
- by Rick Sowash (b. 1950), "The tune", 1998 [mezzo-soprano and piano], from Teasdale Songs for mezzo-soprano and piano, no. 3. [ sung text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Un air", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-02-13
Line count: 8
Word count: 65