O, sweep of stars over Harlem streets,
O, little breath of oblivion that is night.
A city building
To a mother's song.
A city dreaming
To a lullaby.
Reach up your hand, dark boy, and take a star.
Out of the little breath of oblivion
That is night,
Take just
One star.
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Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Stars", appears in Fields of Wonder, first published 1947 [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 Frank W. Brazinski (b. 1932), "Stars" [ baritone or tenor, unaccompanied ], from Names in Uphill Letters [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harriette Davison , "Stars" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Serge Hovey (1920 - 1989), "Stars", published 1950 [ voice and piano ], from I, Too, Sing America [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-09-07
Line count: 11
Word count: 52