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by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)

The dark‑eyed gentleman
Language: English 
I pitched my day's leazings in Crimmercrock Lane,
To tie up my garter and jog on again,
When a dear dark-eyed gentleman passed there and said,
In a way that made all o' me colour rose-red,
"What do I see -
O pretty knee!"
And he came and he tied up my garter for me.

'Twixt sunset and moonrise it was, I can mind:
Ah, 'tis easy to lose what we nevermore find! -
Of the dear stranger's home, of his name, I knew nought,
But I soon knew his nature and all that it brought.
Then bitterly
Sobbed I that he
Should ever have tied up my garter for me!

Yet now I've beside me a fine lissom lad,
And my slip's nigh forgot, and my days are not sad;
My own dearest joy is he, comrade, and friend,
He it is who safe-guards me, on him I depend;
No sorrow brings he,
And thankful I be
That his daddy once tied up my garter for me!

View text with all available footnotes

Text Authorship:

  • by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "The dark-eyed gentleman", appears in Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses, first published 1909 [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 Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, Sir (1891 - 1975), "The dark-eyed gentleman", c1912 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hubert James Foss (1899 - 1953), "The dark-eyed gentleman", published 1925 [ tenor, baritone, TBar chorus, and piano ], from Seven Poems by Thomas Hardy [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-01-14
Line count: 21
Word count: 167

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