by Henry Newbolt, Sir (1862 - 1938)
The middle watch
Language: English
In a blue dusk the ship astern Uplifts her slender spars, With golden lights that seem to burn Among the silver stars. Like fleets along a cloudy shore The constellations creep, Like planets on the ocean floor Our silent course we keep. And over the endless plain, Out of the night forlorn Rises a faint refrain, A song of the day to be born -- Watch, oh watch till ye find again Life and the land of morn. From a dim West to a dark East Our lines unwavering head, As if their motion long had ceased And Time itself were dead. Vainly we watch the deep below, Vainly the void above, They died a thousand years ago -- Life and the land we love. But over the endless plain, Out of the night forlorn Rises a faint refrain, A song of the day to be born -- Watch, oh watch till ye find again Life and the land of morn.
Text Authorship:
- by Henry Newbolt, Sir (1862 - 1938), "The middle watch", appears in Poems: New and Old, in Songs of the Fleet, no. 3, first published 1912 [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 Charles Villiers Stanford, Sir (1852 - 1924), "The middle watch", op. 117 no. 3 (1910), published 1910, first performed 1910 [ baritone, mixed chorus, and orchestra ], from Songs of the Fleet, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-12-06
Line count: 28
Word count: 158