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by Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

Nay, Lord, not thus! white lilies in the...
Language: English 
Nay, Lord, not thus! white lilies in the spring,
  Sad olive-groves, or silver-breasted dove,
  Teach me more clearly of Thy life and love
Than terrors of red flame and thundering.
The empurpled vines dear memories of Thee bring:
  A bird at evening flying to its nest,
  Tells me of One who had no place of rest:
I think it is of Thee the sparrows sing.
Come rather on some autumn afternoon,
  When red and brown are burnished on the leaves,
  And the fields echo to the gleaner's song,
Come when the splendid fulness of the moon
  Looks down upon the rows of golden sheaves,
  And reap Thy harvest: we have waited long.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), "Sonnet on hearing the Dies Iræ sung in the Sistine Chapel", from Poems, first published 1881, revised 1882 [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 Daniel Ruyneman (1886 - 1963), "Sonnet 'On hearing the Dies Iræ sung in the Sistine Chapel'", 1949, from Seven melodies, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson (1931 - 2003), "Sonnet", published 1969 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-09-18
Line count: 14
Word count: 112

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