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by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)

The shades of night were falling fast
Language: English 
The shades of night were falling fast,
As through an Alpine village passed
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice,
A banner with the strange device,
       Excelsior! 
His brow was sad; his eye beneath,
Flashed like a falchion from its sheath,
And like a silver clarion rung
The accents of that unknown tongue,
       Excelsior! 
In happy homes he saw the light
Of household fires gleam warm and bright;
Above, the spectral glaciers shone,
And from his lips escaped a groan,
       Excelsior! 
"Try not the Pass!" the old man said;
"Dark lowers the tempest overhead,
The roaring torrent is deep and wide!
And loud that clarion voice replied,
       Excelsior! 
"Oh stay," the maiden said, "and rest
Thy weary head upon this breast!"
A tear stood in his bright blue eye,
But still he answered, with a sigh,
       Excelsior! 
"Beware the pine-tree's withered branch!
Beware the awful avalanche!"
This was the peasant's last Good-night,
A voice replied, far up the height,
        Excelsior! 
At break of day, as heavenward
The pious monks of Saint Bernard
Uttered the oft-repeated prayer,
A voice cried through the startled air,
       Excelsior! 
A traveller, by the faithful hound,
Half-buried in the snow was found,
Still grasping in his hand of ice
That banner with the strange device,
       Excelsior! 
There in the twilight cold and gray,
Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay,
And from the sky, serene and far,
A voice fell, like a falling star,
       Excelsior!

About the headline (FAQ)

Note: this poem is parodied in "Excels‑ee‑aw".


Text Authorship:

  • by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "Excelsior", appears in Ballads and Other Poems, first published 1842 [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 Michael William Balfe (1808 - 1870), "Excelsior", published >>1858 [ duet for tenor and baritone (or soprano and contralto) with piano ], also arranged by George B. Nevin for men's chorus [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Francesco Berger (1834 - 1933), "Excelsior", published >>1877 [ vocal trio for soprano, contralto, and baritone with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by William Henry Birch (1826 - 1888), "Excelsior", published 1881 [ partsong: satb chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Joseph Bird , "Excelsior" [sung text not yet checked]
  • by John Blockley (1800 - 1882), "Excelsior" [ voice and piano (or vocal duet with piano) ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Corbett S. Catty , "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Frederick William Clarke (1852 - 1883), "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ], from Album of Songs [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Stephen Ralph Glover (1812 - 1870), "Excelsior", published 1844-57 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Robert Goldbeck (1839 - 1908), "Excelsior", published 1885 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by John Liptrot Hatton (1809 - 1886), "Excelsior", published 186-? [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Nicholas Heins , "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hutchinson Family , "Excelsior", published 1843 [ partsong: satb chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Maria Lindsay (flourished 1855-1875), "Excelsior", published 1854? [ voice and piano ], London : Robert Cocks & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Robert H. Lyon , "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Jules Normann , "Excelsior", published 186-? [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by George Peabody , "Excelsior", published 1884 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Charles Callahan Perkins (1823 - 1886), "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ], also set in French (Français) [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ciro Ercole Pinsuti, Il Cavaliere (1829 - 1888), "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by (George) Alexander Russell (1880 - 1953), "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Peter August Schnecker (1850 - 1903), "Excelsior", published 1910 [ SATB chorus, piano, organ, and cathedral chimes ad libitum ], ballad [sung text not yet checked]
  • by H. G. Spaulding , "Upidee", published 1859 [ chorus ], arrangement [sung text not yet checked]
  • by A. H. Thouless (? - c1893), "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ], from Album of Ten Songs [sung text not yet checked]
  • by James Tilleard (1827 - 1876), "Excelsior" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in French (Français), a translation by Charles Monselet (1825 - 1888) ; composed by Charles Callahan Perkins.
      • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • GER German (Deutsch) (Ernst Eckstein) , "Excelsior!", subtitle: "(Nach dem Englischen von H.W. Longfellow.)", appears in In Moll und Dur, in 3. Dritte Abtheilung


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-06-10
Line count: 45
Word count: 238

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