A match | If love were what the rose is | If love were what the rose is

by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)

If love were what the rose is

Language: English

If love were what the rose is,
  And I were like the leaf,
Our lives would grow together
In sad or singing weather,
Blown fields or flowerful closes,
  Green pleasure or grey grief;
If love were what the rose is,
  And I were like the leaf.

If I were what the words are,
  And love were like the tune,
With double sound [or]¹ single
Delight our lips would mingle,
With kisses glad as birds are
  That get sweet rain at noon;
If I were what the words are,
  And love were like the tune.

If you were life, my darling,
  And I your love were death,
We 'd shine and snow together
Ere March made sweet the weather
With daffodil and starling
  And hours of fruitful breath;
If you were life, my darling,
  And I your love were death.

If you were thrall to sorrow,
  And I were page to joy,
We 'd play for lives and seasons
With loving looks and treasons
And tears of night and morrow
  And laughs of maid and boy;
If you were thrall to sorrow,
  And I were page to joy.

If you were April's lady,
  And I were lord in May,
We 'd throw with leaves for hours
And draw for days with flowers,
Till day like night were shady
  And night were bright like day;
If you were April's lady,
  And I were lord in May.

If you were queen of pleasure,
  And I were king of pain,
We 'd hunt down love together,
Pluck out his flying-feather,
  And teach his feet a measure,
And find his mouth a rein;
  If you were queen of pleasure,
And I were king of pain.

Available sung texts: ← What is this?

• A. Foote • V. Herbert

V. Herbert sets stanzas 1, 5
A. Foote sets stanzas 1, 3, 2

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Foote: "and"

Text Authorship:

by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), "A match", appears in Poems and Ballads, first published 1866 [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 Paul Ambrose (1868 - 1941), "If love were what the rose is", published 1925 [ three-part chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Seymour Barab (1921 - 2014), "If Love were what the Rose is", copyright © 1979 [ soprano or tenor, recorder, and guitar ], from Bagatelles, no. 5, New York : Galaxy Music [sung text not yet checked]
by Reginald Billin , "If love were what the rose is", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Frederic Hymen Cowen, Sir (1852 - 1935), "If love were what the rose is", published 1883 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937), "If Love Were What the Rose Is", op. 51 (Four Songs) no. 3, stanzas 1,3,2 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Henry Kimball Hadley (1871 - 1937), "If love were what the rose is", published 1898 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Victor Herbert (1859 - 1924), "If love were what the rose is", published 1907, stanzas 1,5 [ voice and piano ], from Two Songs by Algernon Charles Swinburne, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Alexander Campbell MacKenzie, Sir (1847 - 1935), "If love were what the rose is", published 1885 [ medium voice and piano ], from Ten songs [sung text not yet checked]
by Francis Moore (1886 - 1946), "Joy", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Clarence Olmstead (1892 - 1969), "If love were like the Tune", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Norman Houston O'Neill (1875 - 1934), "A Match", 1898 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Ciro Ercole Pinsuti, Il Cavaliere (1829 - 1888), "If", published 1877 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Clara Kathleen Rogers (1844 - 1931), "A match", op. 20 (Six Songs) no. 1, published 1884 [ voice and piano ], Boston : Arthur P. Schmidt and Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Welford Russell (b. 1900), "If love were what the rose is" [ medium voice and piano ], from Sixteen songs [sung text not yet checked]
by Charles Albert Stebbins , "If love were what the rose is", published 1900 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "April's lady", published 1902 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-27
Line count: 48
Word count: 281