by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
Come, said the Muse
Language: English
Come, said the Muse, Sing me a song no poet yet has chanted, Sing me the Universal. In this broad Earth of ours, Amid the measureless grossness and the slag, Enclosed and safe within its central heart, Nestles the seed Perfection. By every life a share, or more or less, None born but it is born -- conceal'd or unconceal'd, the seed is waiting.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Song of the Universal, no. 1 [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 Vincent Persichetti (1915 - 1987), "Sing me the Universal", op. 103 no. 5, published 1967 [ chorus and woodwinds ], from Celebrations: Cantata no. 3, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas Carl Whitmer (1873 - 1959), "Come, said the Muse", published 1928 [ vocal quartet, chorus, and piano or orchestra ], from Choral Rhapsody [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Homer Albert Norris (1860?5 - 1920), "Come, said the Muse", published 1903 [ vocal trio for soprano, tenor, and baritone with piano ], from The Flight of the Eagle
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-11
Line count: 9
Word count: 63