A bird's anger (Davies, set by I. Gurney) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


A summers morning that has but one voice;
Five hundred stooks, like golden lovers, lean
Their heads together, in their quiet way,
And but one bird sings, of a number seen.
 
It is a lark, that louder, louder sings,
As though but this one thought possessed his mind:
"You silent robin, blackbird, thrush, and finch,
I'll sing enough for all you lazy kind!"
 
And when I hear him at this daring task,
"Peace, little bird," I say, "and take some rest;
Stop that wild, screaming fire of angry song,
Before it makes a coffin of your nest."

Authorship

William Henry Davies (1871-1940)

The Song of Life and Other Poems

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

Ivor Gurney (1890-1937)

Date added to the website: 2008-11-11.

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