by Richard Monckton Milnes, Lord Houghton (1809 - 1885)
I wandered by the brook‑side
Language: English
I wandered by the brook-side, I wandered by the mill, -- I could not hear the brook flow, The noisy wheel was still; There was no burr of grasshopper, Nor chirp of any bird, But the beating of my own heart Was all the sound I heard. I sat beneath the elm-tree, I watched the long, long shade, And as it grew still longer, I did not feel afraid; For I listened for a foot-fall, I listened for a word; But the beating of my own heart Was all the sound I heard. He came not, -- no, he came not, -- The night came on alone; The little stars came one by one, Each in his golden throne. The evening air passed by my cheek, The leaves above were stirr'd, -- But the beating of my own heart Was all the sound I heard. Fast silent tears were flowing, When something stood behind, -- A hand was on my shoulder, I knew its touch was kind; It drew me nearer -- nearer, -- We did not speak one word, For the beating of our own hearts Was all the sound we heard.
Confirmed with Poems of Many Years by Richard Monckton Milnes. A new edition, Boston: William D. Ticknor, 1846. Appears in Songs, no. 4, pages 243 - 244.
Authorship:
- by Richard Monckton Milnes, Lord Houghton (1809 - 1885), appears in Poems of Many Years, in Songs, no. 4 [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 Catherine Charlotte Maberly (1805 - 1875), "I wandered by the brook-side", published 1844?, from Songs, ballads, &c, no. 2, London : Cramer, Addison & Beale [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Luise von Plönnies, née Leisler (1803 - 1872) , "Schäferlied", appears in Britannia ; composed by Franz Wilhelm Abt, Alexander Winterberger.
Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull
This text was added to the website: 2020-12-14
Line count: 32
Word count: 186