by James Joyce (1882 - 1941)
Of the dark past
Language: English
Of the dark past A child is born; With joy and grief My heart is torn. Calm in his cradle The living lies. May love and mercy Unclose his eyes! Young life is breathed On the glass; The world that was not Comes to pass. A child is sleeping: An old man gone. O, father forsaken, Fogive your son!
About the headline (FAQ)
First published in New Republic, November 1932Authorship
- by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), "Ecce puer" [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 David Del Tredici (b. 1937), "Ecce puer", published 1966 [soprano, chimes, horn and orchestra], from Syzygy, no. 1, New York : Boosey & Hawkes [text verified 1 time]
- by Robin Holloway (b. 1943), "Ecce puer", op. 22 no. 1 (1973), copyright © 1978 [chorus a cappella], from Five Madrigals, no. 1, [London] : Oxford University Press : Boosey & Hawkes [text not verified]
- by Bernard James Naylor (1907 - 1986), "Ecce puer", published 1963 [SATB chorus a cappella], from Sing Nowell, carol [text not verified]
- by Peter Schickele (b. 1935), "Of the dark past" [soprano and orchestra] [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 59