Boats at Night (Shanks, set by R. Perks) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


How lovely is the sound of oars at night 
And unknown voices, borne through windless air, 
From shadowy vessels floating out of sight 
Beyond the harbour lantern's broken glare 
To those piled rocks that make on the dark wave 
Only a darker stain. The splashing oars 
Slide softly on as in an echoing cave 
And with the whisper of the unseen shores 
Mingle their music, till the bell of night 
Murmurs reverberations low and deep 
That droop towards the land in swooning flight 
Like whispers from the lazy lips of sleep. 
The oars grow faint. Below the cloud-dim hill 
The shadows fade and now the bay is still.

Authorship

Edward Shanks (1892-1953)

The Island of Youth

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Robert Edward Perks

Date added to the website: 2009-03-21.

Gentle Reminder

This project is not funded. If you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated!
- Emily

I also have a wishlist at Amazon.ca.