by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
The Sun at noon to higher air
Language: English
The Sun at noon to higher air, Unharnessing the silver Pair That late before his chariot swam, Rides on the gold wool of the Ram. So braver notes the storm-cock sings To start the rusted wheel of things, And brutes in field and brutes in pen Leap that the world goes round again. The boys are up the woods with day To fetch the daffodils away, And home at noonday from the hills They bring no dearth of daffodils. Afield for palms the girls repair, And sure enough the palms are there, And each will find by hedge or pond Her waving silver-tufted wand. In farm and field through all the shire The eye beholds the heart's desire; Ah, let not only mine be vain, For lovers should be loved again.
J. Ireland sets stanzas 3-5
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Authorship
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), "March", appears in A Shropshire Lad, no. 10, first published 1896 [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 Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "The Sun at noon to higher air", published 1926 [baritone, string quartet, and piano], from The Western Playland, no. 8. [text verified 1 time]
- by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "The heart's desire", c1917, published 1918, stanzas 3-5. [voice and piano or orchestra] [text verified 1 time]
- by John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "March - The sun at noon to higher air" [baritone and piano] [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 131