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by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864)

Laura Lee
Language: English 
Why has thy merry face 
Gone from my side, 
Leaving each cherished place 
Cheerless and void? 

Why has the happy dream, 
Blended with thee, 
Passed like a flitting beam, 
Sweet Laura Lee? 

Far from all pleasure torn, 
Sad and alone, 
How doth my spirit mourn 
While thou art gone! 

How like a desert isle 
Earth seems to me, 
Robbed of thy sunny smile, 
Sweet Laura Lee! 

When will thy winning voice 
Breathe on mine ear? 
When will my heart rejoice, 
Finding thee near? 

When will we roam the plain 
Joyous and free, 
Never to part again, 
Sweet Laura Lee? 

Text Authorship:

  • by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "Laura Lee" [author's text checked 1 time 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 Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "Laura Lee", published 1851. [voice and piano] [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2015-12-26
Line count: 24
Word count: 99

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