by Louis Untermeyer (1885 - 1977)
May nothing evil cross this door
Language: English
May nothing evil cross this door, And may ill fortune never pry About these windows; may the roar And rain go by. Strengthened by faith, these rafters will Withstand the batt'ring of the storm; This hearth, through all the world grow chill, Will keep us warm. Peace shall walk softly through these rooms, Touching our lips with holy wine, Till ev'ry casual corner blooms Into a shine. Laughter shall drown the raucous shout; And, though these shelt'ring wall are thin, May they be strong to keep hate out And hold love in.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Louis Untermeyer (1885 - 1977), "Prayer for this house", appears in This Singing World, first published 1923 [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 George Frederick McKay (1899 - 1970), "Prayer for this house" [ mixed chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincent Persichetti (1915 - 1987), "Prayer for this house", op. 68 (Hymns and Responses) no. 25, published 1956 [ chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Newton Quaile (1867 - 1927), "Prayer for this house" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gordon Ellsworth Young (b. 1919), "A prayer for this house", published 1951 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-05
Line count: 16
Word count: 92