The old house by the lindens Stood silent in the shade, And on the gravelled pathway The light and shadow played. I saw the nursery windows Wide open to the air; But the faces of the children, They were no longer there. The large Newfoundland house-dog Was standing by the door; He looked for his little playmates, Who would return no more. They walked not under the lindens, They played not in the hall; But shadow, and silence, and sadness Were hanging over all. The birds sang in the branches, With sweet, familiar tone; But the voices of the children Will be heard in dreams alone! And the boy that walked beside me, He could not understand Why closer in mine, ah! closer, I pressed his warm, soft hand!
Three serious songs , opus 10
by Frederic R. Fontein-Tuinhout (1854 - 1909)
1. The open window  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
Authorship:
- by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "The open window", appears in The Seaside and the Fireside, first published 1849
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , "Das offene Fenster", first published <<1912
2. The Reaper and the flowers  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
There is a Reaper, whose name is Death, And, with his sickle keen, He reaps the bearded grain at a breath, And the flowers that grow between. "Shall I have naught that is fair?" saith he; "Have naught but the bearded grain? Though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me, I will give them all back again." He gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes, He kissed their drooping leaves; It was for the Lord of Paradise He bound them in his sheaves. "My Lord has need of these flowerets gay," The Reaper said, and smiled; "Dear tokens of the earth are they, Where He was once a child. "They shall all bloom in fields of light, Transplanted by my care, And saints, upon their garments white, These sacred blossoms wear." And the mother gave, in tears and pain, The flowers she most did love; She knew she should find them all again In the fields of light above. Oh, not in cruelty, not in wrath, The Reaper came that day; 'T was an angel visited the green earth, And took the flowers away.
Authorship:
- by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "The Reaper and the flowers", appears in Voices of the Night, first published 1839
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]3. Three Christmas Bells  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Till, ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said: "For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Authorship:
- by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "Christmas Bells", appears in Household Poems, first published 1865
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]