The Children’s Hour
SATB divisi a cappella
Longfellow’s sentimental poem describes an idyllic family life. In this setting, warm harmonies outline the poet’s inner thoughts, in contrast with the playful energy of his beloved daughters.
Duration: 2:30 Difficulty: 3 (medium)
Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)
The Children’s Hour (excerpts)
Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day’s occupations,
That is known as the Children’s Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.
A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.
A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!
They climb up into my turret
O’er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.
I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.
And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away
topics: secular, family, father, daughters, children, evening
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