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by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889)

Such a starved bank of moss
Language: English 
Such a starved bank of moss
Till, that May-morn,
Blue ran the flash across:
Violets were born!

Sky -- what a scowl of cloud
Till, near and far,
Ray on ray split the shroud:
Splendid, a star!

World -- how it walled about
Life with disgrace,
Till God's own smile came out:
That was thy face! 

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889), "Apparitions", appears in The Two Poets of Croisic, Prologue, first published 1878 [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 Anna Craig Bates , "Apparitions", published 1922 [ high voice and piano ], from Songs and Ballads, NY: Schroeder & Gunther [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Arthur C. Berdahl , "Epithalamium", 1952 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Maude Blanchard , "Thy face", c1911 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Philip Paul Bliss, Jr. (1872 - 1933), "Thy face", published 1905 [ voice and piano ], from Songs, Cincinnati: the composer [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Helen Archibald Clarke (flourished 1900), "Apparitions", published 1892 [ medium-high voice and piano ], Philadelphia : Poet-Lore Co. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Charles Whitney Coombs (1859 - 1940), "Thy face", published 1913 [ medium voice and piano ], NY : G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Reginald W. Craddock , "Apparitions", published [1898] [ medium voice and piano ], from Three Songs, London : Cocks [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Celius Dougherty (1902 - 1986), "Portrait", published 1948 [ voice and piano ], NY : G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Lulu Jones Downing , "Apparitions", published 1909 [ medium voice and piano ], from Songs, NY : Bryant [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Roland Farley (1892 - 1932), "God's own smile", published 1923 [ high voice and piano ], NY : G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Eleanor Everest Freer (1864 - 1942), "Apparitions", published 1906 [ voice and piano ], from Four Songs, Milwaukee : Kaun [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Eleanor Everest Freer (1864 - 1942), "Such a starved bank of moss", published 1936 [ baritone and piano ], from opera The Brownings Go to Italy, Chicago : The Music Library of Chicago [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Adolf Frey (1865 - 1938), "Apparitions", published 1904 [ high voice and piano ], from Four Songs, Boston : Schmidt [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Eleanor C. Gregory , "Apparitions", published [1887] [ voice and piano ], from Six songs, London: Novello [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Margaret Hoberg (1890 - 1948), "Such a starved bank of moss", published 1917 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Songs, Boston : Schmidt [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Rosalie Housman (1890? - 1949), "Such a starved bank of moss", c1916, note: composer given (erroneously?) as Rosalie Hausmein in Sally K. C. East's Browning Music [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Fritz Krull , "Such a starved bank of moss", 1908 [ high voice and piano ], from Three songs [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Frank Lynes (1858 - 1913), "Apparitions", published 1903 [ high voice and piano ], from Songs, Boston: Schmidt [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Charles Fonteyn Manney (1872 - 1951), "Transformations", published 1906 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], from Four Songs, Boston : Schmidt [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Marie Ada Molineux (1857 - 1936), "Thy face", 1905 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by William Harold Neidlinger (1863 - 1924), "Thy face", published 1900 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], from Two Songs, NY : G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Mary E. Nicholson , "That May morn" [ medium voice and piano ], London : Duff & Stewart [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Clara Kathleen Rogers (1844 - 1931), "Apparitions", op. 27 no. 3, published 1893 [ medium voice and piano ], from Browning songs (First Series), no. 3, Boston : Arthur P. Schmidt and Co. [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Mary Shillington , "Apparitions", published 1902 [ medium voice and piano ], London : J. B. Cramer & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "Song", published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from A Broken Arc, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by F. Tedaldi , "Apparitions", first performed 1884 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-04-24
Line count: 12
Word count: 54

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