by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)
Night, in utmost noon forlorn and...
Language: English
Night, in utmost noon forlorn and strong, with heart athirst and fasting, Hungers here, barred up for ever, whence as one whom dreams affright Day recoils before the low-browed lintel threatening doom and casting Night. All the reefs and islands, all the lawns and highlands, clothed with light, Laugh for love's sake in their sleep outside: but here the night speaks, blasting Day with silent speech and scorn of all things known from depth to height. Lower than dive the thoughts of spirit-stricken fear in souls forecasting Hell, the deep void seems to yawn beyond fear's reach, and higher than sight Rise the walls and roofs that compass it about with everlasting Night.
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Text Authorship:
- by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), no title, appears in A Century of Roundels, in In Guernsey, no. 6 [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), "Night", 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: 9
Word count: 113