by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882)
Girt in dark growths, yet glimmering...
Language: English
Girt in dark growths, yet glimmering with one star, O night desirous as the nights of youth! Why should my heart within thy spell, forsooth, Now beat, as the bride's finger-pulses are Quickened within the girdling golden bar? What wings are these that fan my pillow smooth? And why does Sleep, waved back by Joy and Ruth, Tread softly round and gaze at me from far? Nay, night deep-leaved! And would Love feign in thee Some shadowy palpitating grove that bears Rest for man's eyes and music for his ears? O lonely night! art thou not known to me, A thicket hung with masks of mockery And watered with the wasteful warmth of tears?
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Text Authorship:
- by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882), "Sonnet XXXIX. Sleepless Dreams", appears in Ballads and Sonnets, in The House of Life [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 Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858 - 1944), "Sleepless dreams", published 1912 [ chorus and orchestra ], Wien/Leipzig : Universal Edition, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame.
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Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-12-27
Line count: 14
Word count: 114