by Elinor Wylie (1885 - 1928)
When I died in Berners Street
Language: English
When I died in Berners Street I remember well That I had lights at head and feet And a passing bell. [But]1 when I died in Houndsditch There came to lay me out A washerwoman and a witch; The rats ran about. When I died in Holburn In and old house and tall I know the tapestry was torn And hanging from the wall. When I died in Marylebone I was saying my prayers; There I died all alone Up four flights of stairs. [But]1 when I died near Lincoln's Inn The small gold I had Surrounded me with kith and kin; I died stark mad. When I died in Bloomsbury In the bend of your arm, At the end I died merry And comforted and warm.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Elinor Wylie, Selected Works of Elinor Wylie, edited and with an introduction by Evelyn Helmick Hively, Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2005, page 73.
1 omitted by HoweAuthorship:
- by Elinor Wylie (1885 - 1928), "A strange story", appears in Trivial Breath, New Republic, first published 1924 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Mary (Carlisle) Howe (1882 - 1964), "When I died in Berner's Street", published 1947 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-03-14
Line count: 24
Word count: 127