by Charles Lamb (1775 - 1834)
The old familiar faces
Language: English
I have had playmates, I have had companions, In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days -- All, all are gone, the old familiar faces. I have been laughing, I have been carousing, Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies -- All, all are gone, the old familiar faces. I loved a Love once, fairest among women: Closed are her doors on me, I must not see her -- All, all are gone, the old familiar faces. I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man: Like an ingrate, I left my friend abruptly; Left him, to muse on the old familiar faces. Ghost-like I paced round the haunts of my childhood, Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse, Seeking to find the old familiar faces. Friend of my bosom, thou more than a brother, Why wert not thou born in my father's dwelling? So might we talk of the old familiar faces -- How some they have died, and some they have left me, And some are taken from me; all are departed -- All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
Authorship:
- by Charles Lamb (1775 - 1834), "The old familiar faces" [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 Jan Mul (1911 - 1971), "The old familiar faces", 1969 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Die altvertrauten Augen", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-09-22
Line count: 21
Word count: 183