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by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)

The heart's desire
 (Sung text for setting by J. Ireland)
 See original
Language: English 
 ... 

The boys are up the woods with day
To fetch the daffodils away,
And home at noonday from the hills
They bring no dearth of daffodils.

Afield for palms the girls repair,
And sure enough the palms are there,
And each will find by hedge or pond
Her waving silver-tufted wand.

In farm and field through all the shire
The eye beholds the heart's desire;
Ah, let not only mine be vain,
For lovers should be loved again.

Composition:

    Set to music by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "The heart's desire", c1917, published 1918, stanzas 3-5 [ voice and piano or orchestra ]

Text Authorship:

  • by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), "March", appears in A Shropshire Lad, no. 10, first published 1896

See other settings of this text.


Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 131

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