Five songs of Walter de la Mare

Song Cycle by Esther Rofe (1904 - 2000)

1. Clavichord  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Hearken! Tiny, clear, discrete:
The listener within deems solely his,
A music so remote and sweet
It all but lovely as silence is.

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Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

2. The horseman  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
I heard a horseman
  Ride over the hill;
The moon shone clear,
  The night was still;
His helm was silver,
  And pale was he;
And the horse he rode
  Was of ivory.

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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Peacock Pie. A Book of Rhymes by Walter de la Mare, London: Constable & Co. Ltd., [1920], p. 2.


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

3. As I went to the well‑head  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
As I went to the well-head 
I heard a bird sing:
“ Lie yonder, lie yonder 
The Islands of Ling.

“ Leagues o’er the water 
Their shores are away.
In a darkness of stars, 
And a foaming of spray ”

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Confirmed with Walter de la Mare, Rhymes And Verses Collected Poems For Children, New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1947, p.134


Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

4. Wild are the waves  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
'ild are the waves when the windblows;
But fishes in the deep
Livein a world of waters.
Still as sleep.
Wild are the skies whenWinter
Roars at the doors of Spring;
Butwhenhis lamentation’s lulled
Thensweetbirds sing.

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Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

5. Hi  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Hi I handsome hunting man 
Fire your little gun. 

Bang! Now the animal 
Is dead and dumb and done. 

Nevermore to peep again, creep again, leap again, 
Eat or sleep or drink again. Oh, what fun !

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Confirmed with Walter de la Mare, Rhymes And Verses Collected Poems For Children, New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1947, p.86


Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
Total word count: 167