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by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)

On Dante's track by some funereal spell
Language: English 
On Dante's track by some funereal spell
Drawn down through desperate ways that lead not back
We seem to move, bound forth past flood and fell
   On Dante's track.

The grey path ends:  the gaunt rocks gape:  the black
Deep hollow tortuous night, a soundless shell,
Glares darkness:  are the fires of old grown slack?

Nay, then, what flames are these that leap and swell
As 'twere to show, where earth's foundations crack,
The secrets of the sepulchres of hell
   On Dante's track?

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), no title, appears in A Century of Roundels, in In Guernsey, no. 4, first published 1883 [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 Leo Smith (1881 - 1952), "On Dante's Track", published 1914. [TTBB chorus a cappella] [
     text not verified 
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-27
Line count: 11
Word count: 83

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