by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
Regret not me
Language: English
Regret not me; Beneath the sunny tree I lie uncaring, slumbering peacefully. Swift as the light I flew my faery flight; Ecstatically I moved, and feared no night. I did not know That heydays fade and go, But deemed that what was would be always so. I skipped at morn Between the yellowing corn, Thinking it good and glorious to be born. I ran at eves Among the piled-up sheaves, Dreaming, `I greave not, therefore nothing grieves' Now soon will come The apple, pear, and plum, And hinds will sing, and autumn insects hum. Again you will fare To cider-makings rare, And junketings; but I shall not be there. Yet gaily sing Until the pewter ring Those songs we sang when we went gipsying. And lightly dance Some triple-timed romance In coupled figures, and forget mischance; And mourn not me Beneath the yellowing tree; For I shall mind not, slumbering peacefully.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), no title, appears in Satires of Circumstance, Lyrics and Reveries with Miscellaneous Pieces, first published 1914 [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 Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "The dance continued", op. 14 no. 10, published 1933 [tenor and piano], from A Young Man's Exhortation, no. 10. [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ethel Florence Lindesay Robertson, née Richardson (1870 - 1946), as Henry Handel Richardson, "Regret not me" [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 30
Word count: 152