To a Skylark (Sidney C. Durst)

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(Posted 2023-10-11) CPDL #76241:

Editor: David Anderson (submitted 2023-10-11). Score information: Letter, 12 pages, 555 kB Copyright: Personal

Edition notes:

General Information

Title: To a Skylark
Composer: Sidney C. Durst
Lyricist: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Number of voices: 4vv Voicing: SATB
Genre: Secular, Partsong

Language: English
Instruments: Piano

First published: 1908 American Book Company
Description:

External websites:

Original text and translations

English text

     Hail to thee, blithe spirit!
        Bird thou never wert—
     That from heaven or near it
        Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.

     Higher still and higher
        From the earth thou springest,
     Like a cloud of fire;
        The blue deep thou wingest,
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest.

     In the golden light’ning
        Of the sunken sun,
     O’er which clouds are bright’ning,
        Thou dost float and run,
Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun.

     With thy clear keen joyance
        Languor cannot be:
     Shadow of annoyance
        Never came near thee:
Thou lovest, but ne’er knew love’s sad satiety.

     Waking or asleep,
        Thou of death must deem
     Things more true and deep
        Than we mortals dream,
Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?

     Teach me half the gladness
        That thy brain must know;
     Such harmonious madness
        From my lips would flow,
The world should listen then, as I am listening now.