by Charles Kingsley (1819 - 1875)
My fairest child, I have no song to give...
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Language: English
My fairest child, I have no song to give you; No lark could pipe in skies so dull and gray; Yet, if you will, one quiet hint I'll leave you, For every day. I'll tell you how to sing a clearer carol Than lark who hails the dawn or breezy down; To earn yourself a purer poet's laurel Than Shakespeare's crown. Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever; Do lovely things, not dream them, all day long; And so make Life, Death, and that vast For Ever One grand sweet song.
J. Paine sets stanzas 1, 3
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesConfirmed with Frances Eliza Grenfell Kingsley, Charles Kingsley. His Letters and Memories of His Life. Edited by His Wife, H.S. King & Company, 1877, page 487. Note: C. E. G. is the author's niece, Charlotte Grenfell (later Mrs. Theodore Walrond). The second verse was left out by accident when the poem was first published.
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Kingsley (1819 - 1875), "A Farewell: To C. E. G.", written 1856, appears in Andromeda and Other Poems, first published 1858 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2010-02-18
Line count: 12
Word count: 102