Midnight (Stephens, set by H. Lapp) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


And [suddenly]¹ I wakened up in [such]² a fright ; 
I thought I heard a movement in the room 
But did not dare to look ; I snuggled right 
Down underneath the bedclothes then the boom 
Of a tremendous voice said, "Sit up, lad, 
And let me see your face." So up I sat, 
Although I didn't want to. I was glad 
I did though, for it was an angel that 
Had called me, and he said, he'd come to know 
Was I the boy who wouldn't say his prayers 
Nor do his sums, and that I'd have to go 
Straight down to hell because of such affairs. 
... I said I'd be converted and do good 
If he would let me off; he said he would.

View text without footnotes
¹ "then" in the earlier edition.
² omitted in the later edition.

Authorship

James Stephens (1882-1950)

The Adventures of Seumas Beg [and] The Rocky Road to Dublin

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

Horace Lapp (1904-)

Date added to the website: 2009-01-22.

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