The song of Love and Death | And in those days she made a little song

And in those days she made a little song

Language: English

Our translations: DUT FRI

And in those days she made a little song,
And called her song "The Song of Love and Death,"
And sang it: sweetly could she make and sing.

  Sweet is true love tho' giv'n in vain, in vain;
  And sweet is death that puts an end to pain:
  I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.

  Love, art thou sweet? then bitter death must be:
  Love, thou art bitter; sweet is death to me.
  O Love, if death [be]¹ sweeter, let me die.

  Sweet love, that seems not made to fade away,
  Sweet death, that seems to make us loveless clay,
  I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.

  I fain would follow love, if that could be;
  I needs must follow death, who calls for me;
  Call and I follow, I follow! let me die.

Available sung texts: ← What is this?

• R. Walthew

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Note: Many of the settings listed below probably use only the song itself, i.e., stanzas 2-5; Musical Settings of Early and Mid-Victorian Literature indicates that Papini and Mrs. Phillips include the first stanza as well in their settings.

¹ Walthew: "is"

Text Authorship:

by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), "The song of Love and Death", appears in Idylls of the King, Elaine's song in "Elaine", first published 1859 [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 Michael William Balfe (1808 - 1870), "The song of Love and Death", published c1860 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by John G. Barnett (1802 - 1890), "Love and Death", published 1859 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by B. Beauchamp , "The song of Love and Death", published 1879 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by John Blockley (1800 - 1882), "Sweet is true love", published 1870? [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Jacques (Jacob) Blumenthal (1829 - 1908), "Sweet is true love", published 1880 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Ernest Crooke , "Sweet is true love", <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by William Richardson Dempster (1809 - 1871), "The song of Love and Death", published 1868 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by E[dwin?] Edwards , "Sweet is true love", published <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by A. Ewing , "The song of Love and Death", published 1872 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937), "Elaine's song", published 1890 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Helen Fothergill (d. 1939), "Sweet is true Love", published 1920 [sung text not yet checked]
by Stephen Ralph Glover (1812 - 1870), "Sweet is true love", <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Walter Cecil Hay (1828 - 1905), "Elaine's song", published 1861 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Edward Lear (1812 - 1888), "The song of Love and Death", published c1860 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by E. Levien , "The song of Love and Death", published 1863 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Maria Lindsay (flourished 1855-1875), "The song of Love and Death", published 1861 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by C. Lushington , "Elaine's song", published 1881 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by George Alexander MacFarren (1813 - 1887), "Love and Death", <<1892 [sung text not yet checked]
by Alexander Campbell MacKenzie, Sir (1847 - 1935), "The song of Love and Death", published 1870 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Frederick C. Nicholls (1871 - ?), "Elaine's song", published c1880 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by G. Papini , "Elaine", published 1887 [ voice and violin obbligato ] [sung text not yet checked]
by A. Phillips, Mrs. , "Elaine's song", <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Alfred Plumpton , "Sweet is true love", published 1866 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Elises Smith , "Elaine", published 1864 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Charlton Templeman Speer (1859 - 1921), "The song of Love and Death", published 1897 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by E. Stanynought , "Sweet is true love", published 1860 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Albert Orlando Steed (1839 - ?), "Love and Death", alternate title: "Elaine", published 1861 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Henry Walthew (1872 - 1951), "A song of Love and Death", 1898 [ mezzo-soprano, clarinet, and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by H. A. Feldmann , no title, appears in Königsidyllen, first published 1859 ; composed by Friedrich Klose.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this page: Peter Brixius

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-07
Line count: 15
Word count: 139