by John Frederick Freeman (1880 - 1929)
English Hills
Language: English
O that I were Where breaks the pure cold light On English hills, And peewits rising cry, And gray is all the sky. Or at evening there When the faint slow light stays, And far below Sleeps the last lingering sound, And night leans all round. O then, O there 'Tis English haunted ground. The diligent stars Creep out, watch, and smile; The wise moon lingers awhile. For surely there Heroic shapes are moving, Visible thoughts, Passions, things divine, Clear beneath clear star-shine. O that I were Again on English hills, Seeing between Laborious villages Her cool dark loveliness.
Authorship:
- by John Frederick Freeman (1880 - 1929), "English Hills", appears in Stone Trees, first published 1916 [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 Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "English Hills", 1922-1925 [ voice and piano ], from Two Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joyce E. K. Jarvis , "English Hills" [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-30
Line count: 25
Word count: 99