by Mary Ann Evans (1819 - 1880), as George Eliot
The radiant dark
Language: English
Should I long that dark were fair? Say, O song! Lacks my love aught, that I should long? Dark the night, with breath all flow'rs And tender broken voice that fills With ravishment the listening hours: Whisperings, wooings, Liquid ripples, and soft ring-dove cooings In low-toned rhythm that love's aching stills. Dark the night, Yet is she bright, For in her dark she brings the mystic star, Trembling yet strong, as is the voice of love, From some unknown afar. O radiant dark! O darkly fostered ray! Thou hast a joy too deep for shallow Day.
Authorship:
- by Mary Ann Evans (1819 - 1880), as George Eliot, appears in The Spanish Gypsy, first published 1868 [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 Charles Villiers Stanford, Sir (1852 - 1924), "The radiant dark", op. 1 no. 8, published 1878 [ voice and piano ], from Eight songs from "The Spanish Gypsy", no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 96