by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906)
Compensation
Language: English
Because I had loved so deeply, Because I had loved so long, God in His great compassion Gave me the gift of song. Because I have loved so vainly, And sung with such faltering breath, The Master in infinite mercy Offers the boon of Death.
Confirmed with The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company.
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906), "Compensation", appears in Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow, first published 1905 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Compensation", 2009 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Carson P. Cooman , "Compensation", op. 126 no. 1 (1999), from Three Dunbar Verses, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Di Domenica (b. 1927), "Compensation", published 1976? [ baritone, piano, and tape ], from Black Poems [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Lloyd, jr. , "Compensation" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Simon Sargon (b. 1938), "Compensation", 1965 [ soprano and piano ], from Jump Back, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork (b. 1941), "Ode to Ethiopia / Compensation", 1994 [ soprano and tenor, orchestra ], from Common Ground: An Operatic Songfest, no. 1
- by Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork (b. 1941), "Ode to Ethiopia / Compensation", 1994, from Common Ground: An Operatic Songfest, no. 11
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-26
Line count: 8
Word count: 45