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Four songs , opus 4

by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934)

1. Margrete's cradle song
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Now roof and rafters blend
with the starry vault on high,
Now flieth little Hākon
on dreamwings through the sky.

There mounts a mighty stairway
from earth to God's own land
There Hakon with the angels goes
climbing hand in hand.

God's angel-babes are watching
thy cot, the still night through,
God bless thee, little Hakon,
thy mother watcheth too.

Text Authorship:

  • by William Archer (1856 - 1924)

Based on:

  • a text in Norwegian (Bokmål) by Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906), "En Stue i Kongsgaarden", written 1864, appears in Kongs-Emnerne
    • Go to the text page.

See other settings of this text.

2. Slumber song  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Soft soft wind, from out the sweet south sliding,
Waft thy silver cloud webs athwart the summer sea;
Thin thin threads of mist on dewy fingers twining
Weave a veil of dappled gauze to shade my babe and me.

Deep deep Love, within thine own abyss abiding,
Pour Thyself abroad, O Lord, on earth and air and sea;
Worn weary hearts within Thy holy temple hiding,
Shield from sorrow, sin, and shame my helpless babe and me.

Text Authorship:

  • by Charles Kingsley (1819 - 1875), "The Summer Sea", appears in The Water-Babies, first published 1862

See other settings of this text.

3. Leise zieht durch mein Gemüt  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: German (Deutsch) 
Leise [zieht]1 durch mein Gemüth
Liebliches Geläute.
Klinge, kleines Frühlingslied,
Kling' hinaus in's Weite.

[Kling']2 hinaus bis an das Haus,
Wo die [Blumen]3 sprießen.
Wenn du eine Rose schaust,
Sag' ich lass' sie grüßen.

Text Authorship:

  • by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Neue Gedichte, in Neuer Frühling, no. 6

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Manuel Capdevila i Font) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Manuel Capdevila i Font) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CHI Chinese (中文) [singable] (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Groet", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Marty Lucas) , "Sweet chimes are softly filling my soul", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Un charmant carillon", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Saluto", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • POL Polish (Polski) (Aleksander Kraushar) , "Cicho płynie", Warsaw, Gebethner i Wolff, first published 1880

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Neue Gedichte von Heinrich Heine, Zehnte Auflage, Hamburg, Hoffmann und Campe, 1871, page 10.

Note: modern German would change the spelling "Gemüth" to "Gemüt"

1 Quiteria: "klingt"; further changes may exist not shown above.
2 Grieg: "Zieh"
3 Gade, Grieg, Urspruch, Zenger: "Veilchen"

3. Soft and gently  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
[Soft]1 and gently through my soul
 Sweetest bells are ringing,
Speed you forth, my little song,
 Of springtime blithely singing!

Speed you onward to a house
 Where sweet flowers are fleeting!
If, perchance, a rose you see,
 Say, I send her greeting!

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation by Kate Freiligrath Kroeker (1845 - 1904), "Leise zieht durch mein Gemüt", appears in Poems Selected from Heinrich Heine, ed. by Kate Freiligrath Kroeker, London: Walter Scott, Limited, page 194, first published 1887

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Neue Gedichte, in Neuer Frühling, no. 6
    • Go to the text page.

See other settings of this text.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Hadley: "Softly"; further changes may exist not shown above.

4. Awake, my heart  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Awake, my heart, to be loved, awake, awake!

The darkness silvers away, the morn doth break,
It leaps in the sky: unrisen lustres slake
The o'ertaken moon. Awake, O heart, awake!

She too that loveth awaketh and hopes for thee:
Her eyes already have sped the shades that flee,
Already they watch the path thy feet shall take:
Awake, O heart, to be loved, awake, awake!

And if thou tarry from her, - if this could be, -
She cometh herself, O heart, to be loved, to thee;
For thee would unashamed herself forsake:
Awake, to be loved, my heart, awake, awake!

Awake! The land is scattered with light, and see,
Uncanopied sleep is flying from field and tree;
And blossoming boughs of April in laughter shake:
Awake, O heart, to be loved, awake, awake!

Lo, all things wake and tarry and look for thee:
She looketh and saith, "O sun, now bring him to me.
Come, more adored, O adored, for his coming's sake,
And awake, my heart, to be loved, awake, awake!" 

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844 - 1930), no title, appears in Poems, first published 1884

See other settings of this text.

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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