The shepherd's song | Down the dusty road together

by Barry Eric Odell Pain (1864 - 1928)

The shepherd's song

Language: English

Our translations: SPA

Down the dusty road together
Homeward pass the hurrying sheep,
Stupid with the summer weather,
Too much grass and too much sleep,
  I, their shepherd, sing to thee
  That summer is a joy to me.

Down the shore rolled waves all creamy
With the flecked surf yesternight;
I swam far out in starlight dreamy,
In moving waters cool and bright,
  I, the shepherd, sing to thee
  I love the strong life of the sea.

And upon the hillside growing
Where the fat sheep dozed in shade,
Bright red poppies I found blowing,
Drowsy, tall and loosely made,
  I, the shepherd, sing to thee
  How fair the bright red poppies be.

To the red-tiled homestead bending
Winds the road, so white and long
Day and work are near their ending
Sleep and dreams will end my song,
  I, the shepherd, sing to thee:
  In the dreamtime answer me.

Text Authorship:

by Barry Eric Odell Pain (1864 - 1928) [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 Edward Elgar, Sir (1857 - 1934), "The shepherd's song", op. 16 (Three Songs) no. 1 (1892) [ voice and piano ], from Seven Lieder of Edward Elgar, no. 7, first published 1895 as op. 16 no. 1 and again in 1896; republished 1907 with German words, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ed. Sachs ; composed by Edward Elgar, Sir.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 147