by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835)
Bird of the greenwood!
Language: English
Bird of the greenwood! [Oh! why]1 art thou here? Leaves dance not o'er thee, Flowers bloom not near. All the sweet waters Far hence are at play — Bird of the greenwood! Away, away! Where the mast quivers, Thy place will not be, As midst the waving Of wild rose and tree. How should'st thou battle With storm and with spray? Bird of the greenwood! Away, away! Or art thou seeking Some brighter land, Where by the south-wind Vine leaves are fanned? Midst the wild billows Why then delay? Bird of the greenwood! Away, away! "Chide not my lingering Where storms are dark; A hand that hath nursed me Is in the bark; A heart that hath cherished Through winter's long day, So I turn from the greenwood, Away, away!"
W. Wallace sets stanzas 1, 3-4
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Felicia Hemans, National Lyrics, and Songs for Music, Dublin: William Curry Jun. and Company, 1834.
1 Wallace: "why!"Authorship:
- by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "The Bird at Sea", appears in National lyrics and songs for music [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 William Vincent Wallace (1812 - 1865), "Bird of the greenwood", stanzas 1,3-4 [ voice and piano ], New York, William A. Pond & Co [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-06-12
Line count: 32
Word count: 130