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by James Joyce (1882 - 1941)

I intone the high anthem
Language: English 
I intone the high anthem,
Partaking in their festival.
Swing out, swing in, the night is dark,
Magical hair, alive with glee,
Winnowing spark after spark,
Star after star, rapturously.
Toss and toss, amazing arms;
Witches, weave upon the floor
Your subtle-woven web of charms...

Some are comely and some are sour,
Some are dark as wintry mould,
Some are fair as a golden shower.
To music liquid as a stream
They move with dazzling symmetry;
Their flashing limbs blend in a gleam
Of luminous-swift harmony.
They wear gold crescents on their heads,
Hornèd and brilliant as the moon...

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), no title, written 1901 [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 Aribert Reimann (b. 1936), "I intone the high anthem", 1989, first performed 1991 [baritone and piano], from Shine and Dark, no. 5, Schott Music [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this page: Peter Schoene

This text was added to the website: 2012-05-23
Line count: 18
Word count: 99

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