Sad and luckless was the season

Sad and luckless was the season,
When to court fair Ellen flew,
Flew from Love, and Peace, and Reason,
Worlds to see of promise new.
Back she comes - each grace is finer,
Ev'ry charm that crowds adore,
All the form divine, diviner -
But the heart is there no more.

Oh! 'tis gone, the temper even,
Careless nature, artless ease!
All that makes retirement heaven - 
Pleasing, without toil to please,
Hope no more, sweet lark, to cheer her,
Vain to her these echoing skies - 
Bloom non more, ye violets, near her,
Yours are charms she would not prize.

Ellen! Go where crowds admire thee,
Chariots rattle, torches blaze;
Here our dull content would tire thee,
Worthless be our village praise.
Go! Yet oh, that Thought's soft season
Ellen's heart might but restore!
Hard the task - whate'er the reason - 
Hard the task to love no more.

Translation(s): GER

List of language codes

Submitted by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Authorship

• by William Smyth (1765 - 1849) [ 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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "Sad and luckless was the season", WoO. 153 (20 Irische Lieder mit Begleitung von Pianoforte, Violine und Violoncello) no. 6, G. 224 no. 6, published 1814/6. [voice, piano, violin, violoncello] [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):

• GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (G. Pertz) , title 1: "Trüb und traurig schien die Sonne"

Text added to the website: 2005-01-12.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:02:11
Line count: 24
Word count: 150

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