by Wallace Stevens (1879 - 1955)
Nuances of a theme by Williams
Language: English
I Shine alone, shine nakedly, shine like bronze, that reflects neither my face nor any inner part of my being, shine like fire, that mirrors nothing. II Lend no part to any humanity that suffuses you in its own light. Be not chimera of morning, Half‐man, half‐star. Be not an intelligence, Like a widow's bird Or an old horse.
Note: the poem is preceded by the following epigraph, a poem by William Carlos Williams called "El hombre":
It's a strange courage you give me, ancient star: Shine alone in the sunrise toward which you lend no part!
Text Authorship:
- by Wallace Stevens (1879 - 1955), "Nuances of a theme by Williams" [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 Deborah Mason , "Nuances of a theme by Williams", first performed 2003 [ SATB chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-10-05
Line count: 12
Word count: 59