by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
That was once her casement
Language: English
That was once her casement, And the taper nigh, Shining from within there, Beckoned, "Here am I!" Now, as then, I see her Moving at the pane; Ah, 'tis but her phantom Borne within my brain! Foremost in my vision Everywhere goes she; Change dissolves the landscapes, She abides with me. Shape so sweet and shy, Dear, Who can say thee nay? Never once do I, Dear, Wish thy ghost away.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "The phantom", appears in Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses, first published 1909, rev 1916 and a [author's text not yet checked 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 Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "In the mind's eye", op. 16 no. 6, published 1949 [ baritone and piano ], from Before and After Summer, no. 6 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "The phantom", 1925 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 71