by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
The fiddler See original
Language: English
The fiddler knows what's brewing To the lilt of his lyric wiles: The fiddler knows what rueing Will come of this night's smiles! He sees couples join them for dancing, And afterwards joining for life, He sees them pay high for their prancing By a welter of wedded strife. He twangs: "Music hails from the devil, Though vaunted to come from heav'n, For it makes people do at a revel What multiplies sins by seven. "There's many a heart now mangled, And waiting its time to go, Whose tendrils were first entangled By my sweet viol and bow!"
Composition:
- Set to music by Frederic Austin (1872 - 1952), "The fiddler", published 1927 [ baritone and piano ], from Three Wessex Songs
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "The fiddler", appears in Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses, first published 1909
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-14
Line count: 16
Word count: 98