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by Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (1835 - 1921)

The night sea
Language: English 
In the summer season,
While yet the dawn was hoar,
I went plucking purple pansies,
Till my love should come to shore.

The fishing lights were gleaming,
They were keeping out at sea,
And “Come,” I sang, “my true love,
Come home, come home to me.”

But the mist fell thick at mooning,
And the white gulls rocked thereon,
And the young moon dropped from heaven,
And the fishing lights hid one by one.

All silently their glances
Slipped down the cruel sea,
And “Wait,” cried the night and the storm,
The wind and storm, “Wait till I come to thee.”

“Wait till I come to thee,
Wait till I come to thee.”

Text Authorship:

  • by Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (1835 - 1921) [author's text not yet checked 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 Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867 - 1944), "The night sea", op. 10 (Songs of the sea) no. 2, published 1918 [ duet for 2 sopranos with piano ]
        Score: IMSLP [external link]  [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford) , "The Night Sea"


Researcher for this page: Annie Matan [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-12-04
Line count: 18
Word count: 113

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