There was a kingdom fair to see, But pale, so pale, with never a rose: The cold wind blows across the lea, Westward the pale sun goes. There was a maiden, soft and dear, But pale, so pale, with never a rose: Each quiv'ring eyelid holds a tear, Seaward her sad heart goes.
Four Songs , opus 22
by Herbert Norman Howells (1892 - 1983)
1. There was a maiden  [sung text checked 1 time]
Authorship:
- by William Leonard Courtney (1850 - 1928)
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Researcher for this page: Virginia Knight2. A Madrigal  [sung text checked 1 time]
Before me, careless, lying, Young Love his wares came crying. Full soon the elf untreasures His pack of pains and pleasures; With roguish eye, He bids me buy From out his pack of treasures. His wallet's stuffed with blisses, With true-love knots and kisses, With rings and rosy fetters, And sugar'd vows and letters. He holds them out With boyish flout, And bids me try the fetters. "Nay, child," I cry, "I know them; There's little need to shew them! Too well for new believing I know their old deceiving, I am too old," I say, "and cold, Today, for new believing"! But still the wanton presses, With honey-sweet caresses, And still, to my undoing, He wins me with his wooing, To buy his ware With all its care, It's sorrow and undoing.
Authorship:
- by (Henry) Austin Dobson (1840 - 1921)
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Researcher for this page: Virginia Knight3. The widow bird  [sung text checked 1 time]
A widow bird sate mourning for her love Upon a wintry bough, The frozen wind crept on above; The freezing stream below. There was no leaf upon the forest bare, No [flower]1 upon the ground And little motion in the air, Except the mill-wheel's sound.
Authorship:
- by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822), no title, appears in Charles the First
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Píseň"
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Un passero solitario il suo amore lamenta", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Some settings use the modernized spelling "sat" instead of "sate"
1 Treharne: "flowers".
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
4. Girl's song  [sung text checked 1 time]
I saw three black pigs riding In a blue and yellow cart; Three black pigs riding to the fair Behind the old grey dappled mare, But it wasn't black pigs riding In a gay and gaudy cart That sent me into hiding With a flutter in my heart. I heard the cart returning, The jolting jingling cart; Returning empty from from the fair Behind the old jogtrotting mare But it wasn't the returning Of a clatt'ring empty cart, That sent the hot blood burning And throbbing thro' my heart.
Authorship:
- by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson (1878 - 1962), "Girl's song", appears in Friends, first published 1916
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Researcher for this page: Virginia Knight