And in those days she made a little song,
And called her song "The Song of Love and Death,"
And sang it: sweetly could she make and sing.
Sweet is true love tho' giv'n in vain, in vain;
And sweet is death that puts an end to pain:
I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.
Love, art thou sweet? then bitter death must be:
Love, thou art bitter; sweet is death to me.
O Love, if death is sweeter, let me die.
Sweet love, that seems not made to fade away,
Sweet death, that seems to make us loveless clay,
I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.
I fain would follow love, if that could be;
I needs must follow death, who calls for me;
Call and I follow, I follow! let me die.
Note: Many of the settings listed below probably use only the song itself, i.e., stanzas 2-5; Musical Settings of Early and Mid-Victorian Literature indicates that Papini and Mrs. Phillips include the first stanza as well in their settings.
Composition:
Set to music by Richard Henry Walthew (1872 - 1951), "A song of Love and Death", 1898 [ mezzo-soprano, clarinet, and piano ]
Text Authorship:
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRI Frisian (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Peter Brixius
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-07
Line count: 15
Word count: 139
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"De wiere leafde' is swiet, al brekt se 't hert,
En swiet de dea, dy't ein'get alle smert -
Ik wit net wat it swietste is, ik net.
Is swiet de leafde, bitter is de dea;
Is leafde bitter, swiet is dan de dea.
As stjerren swieter is, kies ik de dea.
It skynt as ein'get swiete leafde nea,
En makket ús ta deade klaai de dea -
Wat is it swietste: leafde of de dea?
Ik folge leafde' it leafst, mocht ik dy ha;
Ik folgje dochs de dea, dy ropt mij ta.
Kom dan, o! dea en rop mij: ik sis 'ja!' "
