by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674)
Along the dark and silent night
Language: English
Along the dark and silent night, With my lantern and my light And the tinkling of my bell, Thus I walk, and this I tell: -- Death and dreadfulness call on To the general session; To whose dismal bar, we there All accounts must come to clear: Scores of sins we've made here many; Wiped out few, God knows, if any. Rise, ye debtors, then, and fall To make payment, while I call: Ponder this, when I am gone: -- By the clock 'tis almost One.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674), "The Bell-Man" [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 Gordon Crosse (b. 1937), "Bellman's Song: Along the dark and silent night", op. 17 no. 6 (1966), published 1967, first performed 1966 [soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, and orchestra], from Changes - A Nocturnal Cycle, no. 6, London : Oxford University Press [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-01-05
Line count: 14
Word count: 84