by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)
A Reiver’s Neck‑Verse
Language: English
Some die singing, and some die swinging, And weel mot a’ they be: Some die playing, and some die praying, And I wot sae winna we, my dear, And I wot sae winna we. Some die sailing, and some die wailing, And some die fair and free: Some die flyting, and some die fighting, But I for a fause love’s fee, my dear, But I for a fause love’s fee. Some die laughing, and some die quaffing, And some die high on tree: Some die spinning, and some die sinning, But faggot and fire for ye, my dear, Faggot and fire for ye. Some die weeping, and some die sleeping, And some die under the sea: Some die ganging, and some die hanging, And a twine of a tow for me, my dear, A twine of a tow for me.
Confirmed with The English Poets. Vol. V. Browning to Rupert Brooke, ed. by Thomas Humphry Ward, New York, London: Macmillan and Co., 1880–1918.
Authorship:
- by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), "A Reiver’s Neck-Verse" [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 Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882 - 1961), "A Reiver’s Neck-Verse", 1908, published 1911 [ tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-01-12
Line count: 20
Word count: 140