by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
January
Language: English
Janus am I; oldest of potentates; Forward I look, and backward, and below I count, as god of avenues and gates, The years that through my portals come and go. I block the roads, and drift the fields with snow; I chase the wild-fowl from the frozen fen; My frosts congeal the rivers in their flow, My fires light up the hearths and hearts of men.
Text Authorship:
- by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "January", appears in The Poet's Calendar, no. 1, first published 1882 [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 Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "January", 1999, first performed 2000 [ tenor and piano ], from The Poet's Calendar -- 12 songs for Tenor and Piano, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Klaus Miehling (b. 1963), "January", op. 151 no. 1 (2008) [ mixed chorus a cappella ], from The Poet's Calendar. Zwölf Miniaturen für vier- bis sechsstimmigen gemischten Chor nach Henry W. Longfellow, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Benjamin Olds (1874 - 1948), "January" [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-21
Line count: 8
Word count: 66