by Langston Hughes (1901 - 1967)
Songs to the dark virgin
Language: English
Would that I were a jewel, a shattered jewel, That all my shining brilliants might fall at thy feet, Thou dark one. Would that I were a garment, A shimmering silken garment That all my folds might wrap about thy body, Absorb thy body, Hold and hide thy body, Thou dark one. Would that I were a flame, But one sharp, leaping flame To annihilate thy body, Thou dark one.
Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1901 - 1967), "Songs to the dark virgin", appears in The Weary Blues, first published 1926 [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 Florence Beatrice Price (1887 - 1953), "Songs to the dark virgin", published 1941 [ voice and piano ], from Four Songs from The Weary Blues, no. 2, G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 70