My Leman is so true

 My Leman1 is so true
 Of love and full steadfast
 Yet seemeth ever new
 His love is on us cast.

 I would that all Him knew
 And loved Him firm and fast,
 They never would it rue
 But happy be at last.

 He lovingly abides
 Although I stay full long
 He will me never chide
 Although I choose the wrong.

 He says "Behold, my side
 And why on Rood I hung;"
 For my love leave thy pride
 And I thee underfong2.

 I'll dwell with Thee believe,
 Leman, under Thy tree.
 May no pain e'er me grieve
 Nor make me from Thee flee.

 I will in at Thy sleeve
 All in Thine heart to be;
 Mine heart shall burst and cleave
 Ere untrue Thou me see.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ leman = lover (Christ)
² underfong = take back

Submitted by Geoffrey Wieting

Authorship

• by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, from "A Medieval Anthology", edited by Mary Segar. [ author's text not yet checked 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 Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "My Leman is so true", op. 35 no. 4 (1916-7), published 1917 [soprano or tenor and violin], from Four Songs for Voice and Violin, no. 4. [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project, and I have been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated.      - Emily Ezust

Browse imslp.org (Petrucci Music Library) for Lieder or choral works