by Kevin John William Crossley-Holland (b. 1941)
Swallows
Language: English
This wind wafts little creatures High over the hill slopes. They are very Swarthy, clad in coats of black. They travel here and there in hordes together, And sing out loudly, liberal with their songs. Their haunts are wooded cliffs, yet they sometimes Come to the houses of men. Name them yourselves. [The Answer:] Swallows.
Text Authorship:
- by Kevin John William Crossley-Holland (b. 1941), "Swallows", after the Old English of The Exeter Book. [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 Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, Sir (1891 - 1975), "Swallows", published 1964, first performed 1963 [ baritone and instrumental ensemble ], from A knot of riddles, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 56