1967
Refuge
Composed by 
John Woods Duke
John Woods Duke Text by 
Sara Teasdale
Sara Teasdale Songs Out of Sorrow: Six Songs for Mezzo Song Collection
"Refuge" is the sixth and final song in John Duke's song cycle Songs Out of Sorrow: Six Songs for Mezzo-Soprano. The song cycle sets the poetry of Sara Teasdale.
Text
Refuge
by Sara Teasdale
From my spirit’s gray defeat,
From my pulse’s flagging beat,
From my hopes that turned to sand
Sifting through my close-clenched hand,
From my own fault’s slavery,
If I can sing, I still am free.
For with my singing I can make
A refuge for my spirit’s sake,
A house of shining words, to be
My fragile immortality.
Sheet Music