by Anne Steele (1717 - 1778), as Theodosia
Translation by John Gill, Reverend (1697 - 1771)
Forgive, blest shade, the tributary tear
Language: English  after the English
Forgive, blest shade, [the]1 tributary tear, That mourns thy exit from a world like this: Forgive the wish that would have kept thee here, And [stayed]2 thy progress to the [realms]3 of bliss. No more confin'd to [grovelling]4 scenes of night, No more a tenant pent in mortal clay; [We rather now should]5 hail thy glorious flight, And trace thy journey to the realms of day.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Note: this adaptation of Anne Steele's poem was used as an inscription on the gravestone of Mrs. Ann Berry (d. 1790). It has also been used as a hymn, for example, in Ellen Courtauld's Psalms, Hymns, &c, 1853.
1 Callcott: "this"2 Callcott: "stay'd"
3 Callcott: "seats" (cf. the original elegy)
4 Callcott: "grov'ling"
5 Callcott: "Now should we rather"
Authorship:
- by John Gill, Reverend (1697 - 1771), no title [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Anne Steele (1717 - 1778), as Theodosia, "On the death of Mr. Hervey", appears in Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, first published 1760
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by John Wall Callcott (1766 - 1821), "Forgive, blest shade", subtitle: "Glee for three voices" [ vocal trio ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2020-04-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 66