In the dark they fell a crying for the dead who'd gone away, and you could hear the drowsy wailing of those compelled to stay -- but when the sun rose, making All the door yard white and clear the mourners got up smilling, happy they were here.
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Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Irish wake", 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 Frederick Piket (1903 - 1974), "Irish wake", published 1948 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Sea Charm [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-09-07
Line count: 8
Word count: 47