by Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967)
Passers‑by
Language: English
Passers-by, Out of your many faces Flash memories to me Now at the day end Away from the sidewalks Where your shoe soles traveled And your voices rose and blent To form the city's afternoon roar Hindering an old silence. Passers-by, I remember lean ones among you, Throats in the clutch of a hope, Lips written over with strivings, Mouths that kiss only for love. Records of great wishes slept with, Held long And prayed and toiled for.. Yes, Written on Your mouths And your throats I read them When you passed by.
Text Authorship:
- by Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967), "Passers-by", appears in Chicago Poems, first published 1916 [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 John Parsons Beach (1877 - 1953), "Passers-by", published 1923 [medium voice and piano], from Two Songs of Labor [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-17
Line count: 23
Word count: 93