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by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674)

Upon a black twist rounding the arm of the Countess of Carlisle
Language: English 
I saw about her spotless wrist,
Of blackest silk, a curious twist ;
Which, circumvolving gently, there
Enthrall'd her arm as prisoner.
Dark was the jail, but as if light
Had met t'engender with the night ;
Or so as darkness made a stay
To show at once both night and day.
One fancy more ! but if there be
Such freedom in captivity,
I beg to love that ever I
May in like chains of darkness lie.

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674), "Upon a black twist rounding the arm of the Countess of Carlisle" [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 Michael Purves-Smith (b. 1945), "Upon a black twist rounding the arm of the Countess of Carlisle", 2001 [mezzo-soprano, clarinet in A and B flat, and piano], from Contrasts in Love, no. 1. [
     text not verified 
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2013-09-14
Line count: 12
Word count: 75

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