by Elinor Wylie (1885 - 1928)
Bells in the rain
Language: English
Sleep falls, with limpid drops of rain, Upon the steep cliffs of the town. Sleep falls; men are at peace again While the small drops fall softly down. The bright drops ring like bells of glass Thinned by the wind, and lightly blown; Sleep cannot fall on peaceful grass So softly as it falls on stone. Peace falls unheeded on the dead Asleep; they have had peace to drink; Upon a live man's bloody head It falls most tenderly, I think.
Text Authorship:
- by Elinor Wylie (1885 - 1928), "Bells in the rain", appears in Nets to Catch the Wind, first published 1921 [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 Woods Duke (1899 - 1984), "Bells in the rain", 1945, published 1948 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jenni Pinnock , "Bells in the rain", 2012 [ soprano and piano or cello ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Russell Woollen (1923 - 1994), "Bells in the rain", 1964 [ voice and piano ], from Willow Brook Suite [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2006-04-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 81