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Text
Empress of Night
English source:
Henry Harris Aubrey Beach
Out of the darkness,
Radiant with light,
Shineth her Brightness,
Empress of Night.
As granules of gold,
From her lofty height,
Or cataract bold
(Amazing sight!)
Falleth her jewels
On ev’ry side,
Lighting the joybells,
Of Christmastide.
Piercing the treeboughs
That wave in the breeze,
Painting their shadows
Among dead leaves;
Kissing the sea foam
That flies in the air,
When tossed from its home
In waves so fair;
Silv’ring all clouds
That darken her way,
As she lifts the shrouds,
Of breaking day.
Radiant with light,
Shineth her Brightness,
Empress of Night.
As granules of gold,
From her lofty height,
Or cataract bold
(Amazing sight!)
Falleth her jewels
On ev’ry side,
Lighting the joybells,
Of Christmastide.
Piercing the treeboughs
That wave in the breeze,
Painting their shadows
Among dead leaves;
Kissing the sea foam
That flies in the air,
When tossed from its home
In waves so fair;
Silv’ring all clouds
That darken her way,
As she lifts the shrouds,
Of breaking day.
Composer
Amy Beach
The composer and pianist Amy Beach (1867-1944) is recognised as a leading figure in American music, the first woman to gain success with large-scale musical forms. She came from a prosperous family in New Hampshire. Her mother Clara Cheney was a…