With glass like a bull's-eye, And shutters of green, Down on the cobbles Lives Mrs. MacQueen, At six she rises; At nine you see Her candle shine out In the linden tree: And at half-past nine Not a sound is nigh But the bright moon's creeping Across the sky; Or a far dog baying; Or a twittering bird In its drowsy nest, In the darkness stirred; Or like the roar Of a distant sea A long-drawn S-s-sh In the linden tree.
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Authorship:
- by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956), "Mrs. MacQueen or the Lollie-Shop", appears in Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes, in 4. Places and People, no. 8, first published 1913 [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 Colin Hand (1929 - 2015), "Mrs. MacQueen", published 1958 [ unison chorus and piano with optional descant recorder ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Herbert Norman Howells (1892 - 1983), "Mrs. MacQueen", op. 33 no. 3 (1919), published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from Peacock Pie, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-13
Line count: 20
Word count: 81