by James Withcomb Riley (1849 - 1916)
The Brook Song See original
Language: English
Little brook! Little brook! You have such a happy look- Such a very merry manner, as you swerve and curve and crook- And your ripples, one and one, Reach each other's hand and run Like laughing little children in the sun! ... Little brook-sing a song Of a leaf that sailed along Down the golden-braided center of your current swift and strong, And a dragon-fly that lit On the tilting rim of it, And rode away and wasn't scared a bit. Little brook, sing to me: Sing about a bumblebee That tumbled from a lily-bell and grumbled mumblingly, Because he wet the film Of his wings, and had to swim, While the water-bugs raced around and laughed at him! ... And sing-how oft in glee Came a truant boy like me, Who loved to lean and listen to your lilting melody, Till the gurgle and refrain Of your music in his brain Wrought a happiness as keen to him as pain. Little brook-laugh and leap! Do not let the dreamer weep; Sing him all the songs of summer till he sinks in softest sleep; And then sing soft and low Through his dreams of long ago- Sing back to him the rest he used to know!
Composition:
- Set to music by Richard Stöhr (1874 - 1967), "The Brook Song", op. 91 (Twelve Songs) no. 1 (1943-1944), stanzas 1,3,2,4-5 [ voice and piano ], unpublished; manuscript at Saint Michael's College Archives and available in scanned form at the Petrucci Music Library
Text Authorship:
- by James Withcomb Riley (1849 - 1916)
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Researcher for this page: Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2021-09-12
Line count: 36
Word count: 204