by Amelia (Ann) Blandford Edwards (1831 - 1892)
Ah, Faithless! all this winter long
Language: English
Ah, Faithless! all this winter long My pain has been thy pastime; I loved with heart, and soul, and song,-- Thine all the sport, mine all the wrong, -- Beware! it is the last time. For now I know thee. Thou would'st fain Thyself undo the darling chain, And cast me on the world again, A lonely man, to-morrow! But no! I swear that must not be! Thou can'st not, if thou would'st, be free! Ah! faithless, heartless, thou shalt see What strength despair can borrow; [And]1, be it well, or be it ill, I feel that I must love thee still, [In sin, and shame]2, and sorrow! Ah, Cruel! though my love were shown In strangely silent fashion, Thou could'st have [read]3 it -- thou alone! In [ev'ry glance and ev'ry]4 tone That told the tale of passion! Alas! had I more boldly woo'd, Had I with fiery vows pursued, [Oh!]5 then, perchance, I had subdued And made thee mine forever! But, by the bitter fate that drove me, By [ev'ry]6 star that shines above me, I swear that I will make thee love me Despite thine own endeavour! Nor life nor death shall set thee free; And neither [heaven]7, nor earth, nor sea, [My lot and thine]8 shall sever!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Allitsen: "For"
2 Allitsen: "Through scorn, and pain"
3 Allitsen: "guessed"
4 Allitsen: "every look and every"
5 Allitsen: "Ah!"
6 Allitsen: "every"
7 Allitsen: "Heav'n"
8 Allitsen: "Thy life and mine"
Authorship:
- by Amelia (Ann) Blandford Edwards (1831 - 1892), "Ballad", appears in Hand and Glove, Leipzig: Bernard Tauchnitz, page 138, in Chapter XIII, A Dinner "en Province [sic].", first published 1865 [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 Frances Allitsen (1848 - 1912), "Rebellion", published 1905 [ voice and piano ], from Moods and Tenses (Phases in a Love Drama) - Cycle of Eight Songs, no. 1, London, New York: Boosey & Co. [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2012-08-12
Line count: 32
Word count: 209