by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889)
In the doorway
Language: English
The swallow has set her six young on the rail,
And looks sea-ward:
The water’s in stripes like a snake, olive-pale
To the leeward,—
On the weather-side, black, spotted white with the wind.
“Good fortune departs, and disaster’s behind,”—
Hark, hark, the wind with its wants and its infinite wail!
And why must cold spread? but wherefore bring change
To the spirit,
God meant should mate his with an infinite range,
And inherit
His power to put life in the darkness and cold?
Oh, live and love worthily, bear and be bold!
Whom Summer made friends of, let Winter estrange!
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889) [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 Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "In the doorway", 1906, published 1907 [ mezzo-soprano and orchestra or piano ], from James Lee's Wife, no. 3, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2020-06-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 100