by Robert Graves (1895 - 1985)
In the wilderness
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
He, of his gentleness, Thirsting and hungering Walked in the Wilderness; Soft words of grace he spoke Unto lost desert-folk That listned wondering. He heard the bittern call From ruined palace-wall, Answered him brotherly; He held communion With the she-pelican Of lonely piety. Basilisk, cockatrice, Flocked to his homilies, With mail of dread device, With monstrous barbed stings, With eager dragon-eyes; Great bats on leathern wings And old, blind, broken things Mean in their miseries. Then ever with him went, Of all his wanderings Comrade, with ragged coat, Gaunt ribs -- poor innocent -- Bleeding foot, burning throat, The guileless young scapegoat; For forty nights and days Followed in Jesus' ways, Sure guard behind him kept, Tears like a lover wept.
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Authorship:
- by Robert Graves (1895 - 1985), "In the wilderness", appears in Over the Brazier, first published 1916 [author's text not yet checked 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 Edgar Leslie Bainton (1880 - 1956), "In the wilderness", published 1928. [SATB chorus a cappella] [text verified 1 time]
- by Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981), "In the wilderness", op. 41 no. 3, published 1969 [high voice and piano], from Despite and still, no. 3. [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , title 1: "Dans le désert", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 30
Word count: 119