by Humbert Wolfe (1885 - 1940)
The thought
Language: English
I will not write a poem for you, because a poem, even the loveliest, can only do what words can do - stir the air, and dwindle, and be at rest. Nor will I hold you with my hands, because the bones of my hands on yours would press, and you'd say after, "Mortal was, and crumbling, that lover's tenderness." But I will hold you in a thought without moving spirit or desire or will for I know no other way of loving, that endures when the heart is still.
Text Authorship:
- by Humbert Wolfe (1885 - 1940), "The thought", appears in The Unknown Goddess, first published 1925 [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 Martin Broones (1900 - 1971), "The thought", published <<1940. [text not verified]
- by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "The thought", op. 48 no. 5, H. 174 no. 5 (1929), published 1930 [voice and piano], from Twelve Humbert Wolfe Songs, no. 5. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 89