Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
About the headline (FAQ)
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Dreams", appears in The Dream Keeper and Other Poems, first published 1932 [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 Cedric Adderley , "Dreams", published 1996 [ medium voice and piano ], from Three Dreams, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Conrad De Jong (b. 1934), "Dreams", published 1966 [ SSA chorus a cappella ], from Four Choruses after Langston Hughes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leonard J[ordan] Lehrman (b. 1949), "Hold fast to dreams", op. 170, first performed 2005 [ SATB chorus and keyboard ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961), "Dreams", op. 53 no. 2 (1996) [ voice and piano ], from Three Dream Songs, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Rosephanye Powell (b. 1962), "Hold Fast to Dreams", first performed 2022 [ voice and piano ], from Langston Dreams, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-27
Line count: 8
Word count: 33