by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
The betrothed
Language: English
Had I met thee in thy beauty When my heart and hand were free, When no other claim'd the duty, Which my soul would yield to thee, Had I wooed then, had I won thee, Oh! how blest had been my fate; But thy sweetness hath undone me, I have found thee - but too late. For to one my vows were plighted With a falt'ring lip and pale; Hands our cruel sires united, Hearts were deemed of slight avail! Thus my youth's bright morn o'ershaded, Thus betrothed to wealth and state, All love's own sweet prospect faded; I have found thee - but too late. Like the fawn that finds the fountain With the arrow in his breast, Or like light upon the mountain, Where the snow must ever rest - Thou hast known me, but forgot me, For I feel what ills await Oh! 'tis madness to have met thee - To have found thee - but too late!
Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824) [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 Adolph Baumbach (c1830 - 1880), "The betrothed", published 1848 [ voice and piano ], Boston, James Hooton and Co. [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2021-01-01
Line count: 24
Word count: 161