Four Rounds

Song Cycle by Frederick Matthias Breydert (b. 1909)

1. Sound the flute [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English

Sound the Flute!
Now [it's]¹ mute.
Birds delight
Day and Night.
Nightingale
In the dale,
Lark in Sky, ²
Merrily, 
Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year.

Little Boy,
Full of Joy;
Little Girl,
Sweet and small.
Cock does crow,
So do you.
Merry voice
Infant noise
Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year.

Little Lamb
Here I am,
Come and [lick
My white neck]³.
Let me pull
Your soft Wool.
Let me kiss
Your soft face.
Merrily Merrily [we]⁴ welcome in the Year.

Text Authorship:

by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "Spring", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 15, first published 1789

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View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with William Blake, Songs of Innocence, 1789.

¹ MacNutt: "'tis"
² Dougherty adds: "Out of sight"
³ MacNutt: "play/ Hours away"
⁴ MacNutt: "to"

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]

2. To see the world [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English

To see [a]¹ World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour.

Text Authorship:

by William Blake (1757 - 1827), no title, appears in Auguries of Innocence, no. 1

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

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Coulthard: "the"; further changes may exist not noted

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

Total word count: 118