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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Translation by Nancy Pinkerton

Did'st thou but know
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Your slave am I at your command
My very life is in your hand!
Here at your feet all I surrender
And only claim from those bright eyes
One tender glance to bid me hope.
Ah! did you know all my devotion
Boundless as air and deep as ocean,
How soon your heart would heal this pain,
For love so true
Needs love again
Ah! if you knew! ah, if you knew!
ah, if you knew how much I love you
This constant heart is yours for aye,
Then bid it live 
Or bid it die
Take all my wealth, take all!
Henceforth one thought alone be mine
To serve my beauteous Queen divine
This constant heart is yours for aye
Then bid it live or bid it die!
Ah! did you know all my devotion
Boundless as air and deep as ocean,
How soon your heart would heal this pain
And give for love
True love again.
Ah! if you knew, ah! if you knew how much I love you!

Text Authorship:

  • by Nancy Pinkerton  [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in French (Français) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist  [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

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

  • by Michael William Balfe (1808 - 1870), "Did'st thou but know" [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2023-11-27
Line count: 26
Word count: 171

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