I will not let thee go

    I will not let thee go.
Ends all our month-long love in this?
    Can it be summ'd up so,
    Quit in a single kiss?
    I will not let thee go.

    I will not let thee go.
If thy words' breath could scare thy deeds,
    As the soft south can blow
    And toss the feather'd seeds,
    Then might I let thee go.
 
    I will not let thee go.
Had not the great sun seen, I might;
    Or were he reckon'd slow
    To bring the false to light,
    Then might I let thee go.
 
    I will not let thee go.
The stars that crowd the summer skies
    Have watch'd us so below
    With all their million eyes,
    I dare not let thee go.
 
    I will not let thee go.
Have we not chid the changeful moon,
    Now rising late, and now
    Because she set too soon,
    And shall I let thee go?
 
    I will not let thee go.
Have not the young flowers been content,
    Pluck'd ere their buds could blow,
    To seal our sacrament?
 
    I cannot let thee go.
    I will not let thee go.
I hold thee by too many bands:
    Thou sayest farewell, and, lo!
    I have thee by the hands,
    And will not let thee go.

About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

• by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844 - 1930), no title, appears in Poems, first published 1873 [ author's text checked 1 time]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "I will not let thee go", op. 15 (Six Songs) no. 6 (1903). [baritone and piano] [
   text not verified 
  ]
• by Robin Humphrey Milford (1903 - 1959), "I will not let thee go", published 1939. [bass and piano] [
   text not verified 
  ]

Text added to the website: 2009-01-29.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:03:05
Line count: 35
Word count: 209

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