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by Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803 - 1849)

Dirge and Hymeneal
Language: English 
Supposed to be sung as the funeral and wedding processions
cross each other at the church-door

Dirge.
 Woe! woe ! this is death's hour
 Of spring; behold his flower!
 Fair babe of life, to whom
 Death, and the dreamy tomb,
 Was nothing yesterday,
    And now is all!
 The maiden, from her play
 Beside her lover gay,
    The church-yard voices call,
       Tolling so slow,
          Woe! woe!

Hymeneal.
 Joy! joy! it is love's day;
 Strew the young conqueror's way
 With summer's glories young,
 O'er which the birds have sung,
 Bright weeds from fairy rings;
    Here, there, away!
 Joy, joy the tree-bird sings,
 Joy, joy, a hundred springs'
    Melodies ever say, -- 
       Maiden and boy,
             Joy! joy!

Dirge.
 She cut the roses down,
 And wreathed her bridal crown.
 Death, playful, called her,'blossom,'
 And tore her from life's bosom.
 Fair maiden, or fair ghost, -- 
    Which is thy name? -- 
 Come to the spectral host;
 They pity thee the most,
    And, to the cold world's shame,
       Soft cry they, low,
          Woe! woe!

Text Authorship:

  • by Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803 - 1849), "Dirge and Hymeneal", appears in The Poems Posthumous and Collected of Thomas Lovell Beddoes, first published 1851 [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 Brian Elias (b. 1948), "Dirge and Hymeneal", published 1969 [duet for soprano and baritone with piano], London : J & W. Chester [
     text not verified 
    ]
  • by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "Dirge and Hymeneal", 1915. [SSA chorus and piano] [
     text not verified 
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-04-29
Line count: 38
Word count: 164

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