by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892)
Break, break, break See original
Language: English
Break, break, break, On the cold grey stones, O Sea! And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me. Ah well for the fisherman's boy, That he shouts to his sister at play! Ah well for the sailor lad, That he sings in his boat on the bay! And the stately ships sail on To their haven under the hill; But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand, And the sound of a voice that is still! Break, break, break, At the foot of thy crags, O Sea! But the tender grace of a day that is dead Will never come back to me.
Poet's note: "Made in a Lincolnshire lane at five o'clock in the morning, between blossoming hedges." Written in memory of Tennyson's friend Arthur Hallam (d. 1833).
Composition:
- Set to music by Edward B. Manning (1874 - 1948), "Break, break, break", published 1902
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), no title, appears in Poems, Volume II, first published 1842
See other settings of this text.
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 110