by George William Russell (1867 - 1935)
The vesture of the soul
Language: English
I pitied one whose tattered dress Was patched, and stained with dust and rain; He smiled on me; I could not guess The viewless spirit's wide domain. He said, "The royal robe I wear Trails all along the fields of light: Its silent blue and silver bear For gems the starry dust of night. "The breath of Joy unceasingly Waves to and fro its folds starlit, And far beyond earth's misery I live and breathe the joy of it."
Text Authorship:
- by George William Russell (1867 - 1935), "The vesture of the soul", appears in Homeward: Songs by the Way, first published 1894 [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 Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874 - 1949), "The vesture of the soul", op. 32 (Seven Sets of Seven Songs, Set V) no. 4 (1918) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 79