by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
All was still. The moon hung not out her...
Language: English
All was still. The moon hung not out her lamp, and the stars faintly glimmered in the summer sky; the breath of night slept among the leaves of the forest; the bosom of the lofty hill drank in the silent dew, while on his majestic brow the voice of angels is heard, and stringed sounds ride upon the wings of night. The sorrowful pair lift up their heads, hovering angels are around them, voices of comfort are heard over the Couch of Death, and the youth breathes out his soul with joy into eternity.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with William Blake, The Couch of Death in: Poetical sketches by William Blake now first reprinted from the original edition of 1783, London : Basil Montagu Pickering, 1868, p.84; only the last sentences
Text Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "The Couch of Death" [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 (Agnes) Elisabeth Lutyens (1906 - 1983), "Resquiat", 1971 [ soprano and string trio ], University of York Music Press [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-03-27
Line count: 10
Word count: 94