Tom Bowling

Here, a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling,
The darling of our crew;
No more he'll hear the tempest howling,
For death has broached him to.
His form was of the manliest beauty,
His heart was kind and soft.
Faithful below, Tom did his duty,
And now he's gone aloft.

Tom never from his word departed,
His virtues were so rare;
His friends were many and true-hearted,
His Poll was kind and fair:
And then he'd sing so blithe and jolly,
Ah! many's the time and oft;
But mirth is turned to melancholy,
For Tom is gone aloft.

Yet shall poor Tom find pleasant weather,
When He, who all commands,
Shall give, to call life's crew together.
The word to pipe all hands:
Thus death, who kings and tars despatches,
In vain Tom's life hath doffed;
For though his body's under hatches,
His soul is gone aloft.

Translation(s): FRE

List of language codes

Submitted by Emily Ezust [Administrator]

Authorship

• by Charles Dibdin (1745 - 1814) [ author's text checked 1 time]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Tom Bowling" [
   text verified 1 time
  ]
• by Charles Dibdin (1745 - 1814), "Tom Bowling" [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , title 1: "Tom Bowling", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

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Tom Bowling

Ici, sur un ponton nu, gît le pauvre Tom Bowling,
Le chouchou de notre équipage ;
Il n'entendra plus la tempête hurler,
Car la mort l'a abordé.
Son corps était de la beauté la plus virile,
Son cœur était gentil et doux.
Fidèle ici-bas, Tom a fait son devoir,
Et maintenant il est parti en haut.

Tom n'a jamais manqué à sa parole,
Ses vertus étaient si rares ;
Ses amis étaient nombreux et sincères,
Il était connu comme gentil et juste :
Et puis il avait chanté si joyeusement et si agréablement,
Ah ! maintes fois et souvent ;
Mais la gaieté s'est transformée en mélancolie,
Car Tom est parti en haut.

Pourtant le pauvre Tom trouvera le temps agréable
Quand celui qui gouverne tout,
Donnera pour appeler l'équipage de la vie
Le mot pour rassembler tout l'équipage :
Ainsi la mort qui fait partir les rois et les matelots
En vain a ôté la vie de Tom ;
Car bien que son corps soit dans la cale,
Son âme est partie en haut.

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Authorship

• Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Guy Laffaille, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
  
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• a text in English by Charles Dibdin (1745 - 1814)
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Benjamin Britten, Charles Dibdin. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2015-10-24.
Last modified: 2015-10-24 22:22:18
Line count: 24
Word count: 175