The Darkling Thrush [THOMAS HARDY poem set to music]
Channel: tobydarling
Date: 2016-04-26

Here is a poem by Thomas Hardy which I have set to music:

The Darkling Thrush
By Thomas Hardy 

Gm Bb
I leant upon a coppice gate 
Gm - Dm Gm
      When Frost was spectre-grey, 
Gm Dm
And Winter's dregs made desolate 
Bb-C D
      The weakening eye of day. 
Gm - Dm - Bb - Dm
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky 
Am D
      Like strings of broken lyres, 
Cm Gm
And all mankind that haunted nigh 
Eb Dm Gm
      Had sought their household fires. 

The land's sharp features seemed to be 
      The Century's corpse outleant, 
His crypt the cloudy canopy, 
      The wind his death-lament. 
The ancient pulse of germ and birth 
      Was shrunken hard and dry, 
And every spirit upon earth 
      Seemed fervourless as I. 

At once a voice arose among 
      The bleak twigs overhead 
In a full-hearted evensong 
      Of joy illimited; 
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small, 
      In blast-beruffled plume, 
Had chosen thus to fling his soul 
      Upon the growing gloom. 

So little cause for carolings 
      Of such ecstatic sound 
Was written on terrestrial things 
      Afar or nigh around, 
That I could think there trembled through 
      His happy good-night air 
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew 
      And I was unaware.