by David Thomson (flourished c1812)
The Elfin Fairies
Language: English
We fairy elves in secret dells, All day contrive our magic spells, Till sable night o'ercast the sky, And trough the airy regions fly, By Cynthia's light so clear: Around the earth ere dawn of day, On high we win our easy way; Sometimes the lawns to earth inviting, On the velvet turf alighting; So light, so light, So light o'er pliant stalks we fleet, The blade scarce bends beneath our feet, But shakes as if for fear. Refrain So light, so light, So light o'er pliant stalks we fleet, The blade scarce bends beneath our feet, But shakes as if for fear. And if no bus'ness calls from home Around the wheeling globe to roam; We to some flow'ry meadow stray, And sing and dance the night away, Around our Fairy Queen. Then we our mushroom board prepare, The gather'd sweets of flow'rs our fare, The dewy nectar round distilling, All our hairbell goblets filling; Good night, good night: Good night we say, then sink to rest Upon some lily's downy breast, By mortal eyes unseen. Refrain Good night, good night: Good night we say, then sink to rest Upon some lily's downy breast, By mortal eyes unseen.
Authorship:
- by David Thomson (flourished c1812) [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), "The Elfin Fairies", WoO. 154 (12 Irische Lieder) no. 1, G. 225 no. 1, published 1812/3 [ voice, piano, violin, violoncello ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Georg Pertz) , "Die Elfen"
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2005-09-18
Line count: 36
Word count: 199