by Arlo Bates (1850 - 1918)
In the arched gateway of fair Ispahan
Language: English
In the arched gateway of fair Ispahan, Where shadows all day long in ambush lurk Ready to steal abroad at nightfall, sits Omar, the storyteller. [On his breast, White as spun-glass, his hoary beard flows down Until it hides his girdle; his deep eyes Like cave-set pools in gleaming blackness shine; His voice is mellow as a drop which falls, Pure liquid music, in a cistern hewn From out the living rock.]1 Around him sit The chief men of the city, they that be Princes and potentates of Ispahan, All listening tireless to the tales he tells. As there they sit at ease, lapped in delight, Smoking long, fragrant pipes, and nodding grave Their approbation with high dignity, The doleful camels burdened pass, the train Of desert-faring caravans; and veiled The women walk in unseen loveliness; While orient lights and perfumes and soft airs Give to each sweet romance its setting fit; And each who hears, himself may haply be Actor in tale as strange as that he lists. Through the long afternoon like fountain-fall Runs on the tale till the dim air is sweet With music of its murmurous syllables, The liquid, melting cadences which drop From Omar's lips like honey from the comb. Spell-bound sit they who hear; [while tales like these Old Omar tells;]1 and long the shadows grow Of the tall camels passing and of slaves Who watch their masters, envying their ease In the cool gateway of fair Ispahan.
A. Foote sets stanzas 1, 3
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Authorship:
- by Arlo Bates (1850 - 1918), "In the Gate", appears in Told in the Gate, Cambridge University Press, Boston, John Wilson and Son, pp. 7-8, first published 1892 [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 Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937), "The Gateway of Ispahan", copyright © 1914, stanzas 1,3 [ssa chorus and orchestra (or piano and tambourine)], Arthur Schmidt [ sung text verified 1 time]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2017-05-02
Line count: 33
Word count: 244