You were glad tonight: And now you've gone away.
Flushed in the dark, you put your dreams to bed;
But as you fall asleep I hear you say
those tired, sweet, drowsy words we left unsaid.

I am [alone]1: but in the windless night
I listen to the gurgling of the rain that veils
the gloom with peace: and whispering of your white
limbs, and your mouth that stormed my throat with bliss,
the rain becomes your voice, and tells me tales
That crowd [my heart with]2 memories of your kiss.

Sleep well! for I can follow you, to bless 
And lull your distant beauty where you roam;
And with wild songs of hoarded loveliness
Recall you to these arms that were your home.

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View original text (without footnotes)

First published in Oxford Outlook, May 1919

¹ Carpenter: "alone, all alone"
² Carpenter: "my"

Text Authorship:

• by Siegfried Lorraine Sassoon (1886 - 1967), "Lovers" [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 John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "Serenade", published 1921 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Irwin Fischer (b. 1903), "You were glad to-night" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Alec Rowley (1892 - 1958), "You were glad to-night", published 1934 [ high voice and piano ], from The Heart's Journey, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 124