by William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)
Away, away, it is the air
Language: English
Away, away, it is the air That stirs among the withered leaves; Away, away, it is not there, Go, hunt among the harvest sheaves. There is a bed in shape as plain As from a hare or lion's lair It is the bed where we have lain In anguish and despair. Away, and take the eagle's eyes, The tiger's smell, Ears that can hear the agonies And murmurings of hell; And when you there have stood By that same bed of pain, The groans are gone, the tears remain. Then tell me if the thing be clear, The difference betwixt a tear Of water and of blood.
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Authorship:
- by William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850), "Away, away, it is the air" [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 Willem Frederik Bon (1940 - 1983), "Away, away", published 1982, from Songs of nature, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2019-11-26
Line count: 18
Word count: 107