by William Smyth (1765 - 1849)
Sad and luckless was the season
Language: English
Sad and luckless was the season, When to court fair Ellen flew, Flew from Love, and Peace, and Reason, Worlds to see of promise new. Back she comes - each grace is finer, Ev'ry charm that crowds adore, All the form divine, diviner - But the heart is there no more. Oh! 'tis gone, the temper even, Careless nature, artless ease! All that makes retirement heaven - Pleasing, without toil to please, Hope no more, sweet lark, to cheer her, Vain to her these echoing skies - Bloom non more, ye violets, near her, Yours are charms she would not prize. Ellen! Go where crowds admire thee, Chariots rattle, torches blaze; Here our dull content would tire thee, Worthless be our village praise. Go! Yet oh, that Thought's soft season Ellen's heart might but restore! Hard the task - whate'er the reason - Hard the task to love no more.
Authorship:
- by William Smyth (1765 - 1849) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "Sad and luckless was the season", WoO. 153 (20 Irische Lieder mit Begleitung von Pianoforte, Violine und Violoncello) no. 6, G. 224 no. 6, published 1814/6 [ voice, piano, violin, violoncello ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Georg Pertz) , "Trüb und traurig schien die Sonne"
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-12
Line count: 24
Word count: 150