I am a cloud in the heaven's height,
The stars are lit for my delight,
Tireless and changeful, swift and free,
I cast my shadow on hill and sea --
But why do the pines on the mountain's crest
Call to me [always]1, "Rest, rest?"
             
I throw my mantle over the moon
And I blind the sun on his throne at noon,
Nothing can tame me, nothing [can]1 bind,
I am [a]2 child of the heartless wind --
But oh the pines on the mountain's crest
Whispering always, "Rest, rest."

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ omitted by Maliverney
² Maliverney: "the"

Authorship:

• by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), "The cloud", first published <<1915 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "The cloud", 2013 [mezzo-soprano and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
• by John Woods Duke (1899 - 1984), "The cloud" [three-part women's chorus and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Irene V. Maliverney (flourished 1930s), "The Cloud" [voice and piano], unpublished [ sung text checked 1 time]

Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2011-02-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 88