Ah, let it drift, that boat of cypress wood, There in the middle of the Ho. He was my mate, And until death I will go desolate. Ah Mother! God! How is it that ye will not understand? Ah, let it drift, that boat of cypress wood, There in the middle of the Ho. He was my King. I swear I will not do this evil thing. Ah Mother! God! How is it that ye will not understand?
About the headline (FAQ)
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Lyrics from the Chinese by Helen Waddell, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1913, page 2.
Authorship:
- by Helen Jane Waddell (1889 - 1965), no title, appears in Lyrics from the Chinese, first published 1913 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , written 826 BCE [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874 - 1949), "Ah, let it drift", op. 124 (Ten Songs in Two Sets of Five Each, Set I) no. 3 (1938) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-01-21
Line count: 12
Word count: 78