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by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)

When the lad for longing sighs
 (Sung text for setting by G. Peel)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
When the lad for longing sighs,
 Mute and dull of cheer and pale,
If at death's own door he lies,
 Maiden, you can heal his ail.

Lovers' ills are all to buy:
 The wan look, the hollow tone,
The hung head, the sunken eye,
 You can have them for your own.

Buy them, buy them: eve and morn
 Lovers' ills are all to sell,
Then you can lie down forlorn;
 But the lover will be well.

Composition:

    Set to music by (Gerald) Graham Peel (1878 - 1937), "When the lad for longing sighs", published 1911 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of a Shropshire Lad, no. 2

Text Authorship:

  • by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), no title, appears in A Shropshire Lad, no. 6, first published 1896

See other settings of this text.


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 76

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