by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)
The incarnate sun, a tall strong youth
Language: English
The incarnate sun, a tall strong youth, On old Greek eyes in sculpture smiled: But trulier had it given the truth To shape him like a child. No face full-grown of all our dearest So lightens all our darkness, none Most loved of all our hearts hold nearest To far outshines the sun, As when with sly shy smiles that feign Doubt if the hour be clear, the time Fit to break off my work again Or sport of prose or rhyme, My friend peers in on me with merry Wise face, and though the sky stay dim The very light of day, the very Sun's self comes in with him.
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Authorship:
- by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), no title, appears in Tristram of Lyonesse and Other Poems, in A Dark Month, no. 17, first published 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 John Reginald Lang-Hyde (1899 - 1990), "The incarnate sun", 1950. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 111