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by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)

He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead
 (Sung text for setting by L. Liebermann)
 Matches base text
Language: English 
Were you lying cold and dead,
And lights were paling out of the West,
You would come hither, and bend your head,
And I would lay my head on your breast;
And you would murmur tender words,
Forgiving me, because you were dead:
Nor would you rise and hasten away,
Though you have the will of the wild birds,
But know your hair was bound and wound
About the stars and moon and sun:
O would, beloved, that you lay
Under the dock-leaves in the ground,
While lights were paling one by one.

Composition:

    Set to music by Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961), "He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead", op. 40 no. 5 (1993) [ tenor, flute, string quartet, and piano ], from A Poet to His Beloved, no. 5

Text Authorship:

  • by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2022-06-15
Line count: 13
Word count: 93

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