O enter with me the gates of delight

Soprano, tenor and bass
 O enter with me the gates of delight, 
 The gates of the garden of man's desire, 
 Where spirits, touched by heav'nly fire, 
 Have planted the trees of life. 
 While we slept in terror of night, 
 Laden with sorrows, chained and dumb; 
 Suddenly, while we slept, our heav'n is come.
 For many a master, in toil and strife, 
 Through the terror had found a way, 
 And stolen the heavenly fire 
 Of the everlasting day. 
 To thee, O man, the sun his truth hath giv'n,
 The moon hath whispered in love her silvery dreams, 
 Night hath unlocked for thee the starry heaven, 
 For thee, the sea, the trust of his streams. 
 Pain and woe forego their might, 
 To be the slaves of fair delight,
 Fear and pity disentwine
 Their aching beams in colours fine. 
 And the rapture of woodland spring 
 Is stayed in its flying;
 And death hath no sting
 For beauty undying.
 After darkness thy leaping sight!
 After dumbness thy dancing sound!
 After fainting thy heav'nly flight!
 After sorrow thy pleasure crown'd!
 O enter the garden of man's delight!
 Thy solace is found!

by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844-1930) , no title, from Invocation to Music, no. 9, published 1895

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

by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) , "O enter with me the gates of delight", published 1895 [soprano, tenor, bass, and orchestra], from Invocation to music - An Ode in Honour of Henry Purcell, no. 9.

Date added to the website: 2009-07-30.

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