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 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

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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