by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892)
Birds in the high Hall‑garden
Language: English
1. Birds in the high Hall-garden When twilight was falling, Maud, Maud, Maud, Maud, They were crying and calling. 2. Where was Maud? in our wood; And I, who else, was with her, Gathering woodland lilies, Myriads blow together. 3. Birds in our wood sang Ringing thro' the vallies, Maud is here, here, here In among the lilies. 4. I kiss'd her slender hand, She took the kiss sedately; Maud is not seventeen, But she is tall and stately. 5. I to cry out on pride Who have won her favour! Maud were sure of Heaven If lowliness could save her. 6. I know the way she went Home with her maiden posy, For her feet have touch'd the meadows And left the daisies rosy. 7. Birds in the high Hall-garden Were crying and calling to her, Where is Maud, Maud, Maud, One is come to woo her. 8. Look, a horse at the door, And little King Charles is snarling, Go back, my lord, across the moor, You are not her darling.
F. Delius sets stanzas 1-4, 6
A. Somervell sets stanzas 1-4, 6
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Maud, and Other Poems. By Alfred Tennyson, D.C.L., Poet Laureate. A New Edition, London: Edward Moxon & Co., Dover Street, 1859.
Note: parodied in Archibald Stodart-Walker's Maud (of all work).
Authorship:
- by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), no title, appears in Maud, Part 1, no. 12 [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 Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934), "Birds in the high hall garden", 1891, stanzas 1-4,6 [ tenor and orchestra ], from Maud, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "Birds in the high hall garden", 1925 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "Birds in the high hall garden", published 1898, stanzas 1-4,6 [ voice and piano ], from Cycle of Songs from Tennyson's Maud, no. 5, London: Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 173