by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
I heard last night a little child go singing
Language: English
I heard last night a little child go singing 'Neath Casa Guidi windows, by the church, O bella libertà, O bella! -- stringing The same words still on notes he went in search So high for, you concluded the upspringing Of such a nimble bird to sky from perch Must leave the whole bush in a tremble green, And that the heart of Italy must beat, While such a voice had leave to rise serene 'Twixt church and palace of a Florence street; A little child, too, who not long had been By mother's finger steadied on his feet, And still O bella libertà he sang.
Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), appears in Casa Guidi Windows, first published 1851 [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 Eleanor Everest Freer (1864 - 1942), "I heard last night a little child go singing", published 1936 [mezzo-soprano and piano], from the opera [selections] The Brownings Go to Italy [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-25
Line count: 13
Word count: 105