by Edward Carpenter (1844 - 1929)
Little heart within thy cage
Language: English
Little heart within thy cage so many years year after year Beating, still beating, so tenderly yearning For comrade love, the love which is to come. Often near stopping, or wounded like a bird, so full of pain -- thy thread of life almost snapped, Yet with joy so wonderful, over all and through all continuing. Soon altogether shalt thou stop, little heart, and the beating and the pain here shall cease; But out of thee that life breathed into the like of thee like of others Shall never stop nor cease. Through a thousand beautiful forms, so beautiful, through the gates of a thousand hearts, Emancipated, freed, we will pass on. I and my joy will suddenly pass on.
Text Authorship:
- by Edward Carpenter (1844 - 1929), appears in Towards Democracy, first published 1883 [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), "Little heart within thy cage" [baritone and orchestra] [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-05-06
Line count: 17
Word count: 119