by Matthew Arnold (1822 - 1888)
Despondency
Language: English
The thoughts that rain their steady glow Like stars on life's cold sea, Which others know, or say they know -- They never shone for me. Thoughts light, like gleams, my spirit's sky, But they will not remain. They light me once, they hurry by, And never come again.
Text Authorship:
- by Matthew Arnold (1822 - 1888), "Despondency", appears in Empedocles on Etna, and Other Poems, first published 1852 [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 Peter Pindar Stearns (b. 1931), "Despondency", published 1955 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-09
Line count: 8
Word count: 49