by Charles Kingsley (1819 - 1875)
I cannot tell what you say green leaves
Language: English
I cannot tell what you say green leaves, I cannot tell what you say : But I know that there is a spirit in you, And a word in you this day. I cannot tell what you say, rosy rocks, I cannot tell what you say : But I know that there is a spirit in you, And a word in you this day. I cannot tell what you say, brown streams, I cannot tell what you say : But I know that in you too a spirit doth live, And a word doth speak this day. "Oh green is the colour of faith and truth, And rose the colour of love and youth, And brown of the fruitful clay. Sweet Earth is faithful, and fruitful, and young, And her bridal day shall come ere long, And you shall know what the rocks and the streams And the whispering woodlands say."
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Charles Kingsley, The Works. Volume I. Poems, London: Macmillan and Co., 1884.
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Kingsley (1819 - 1875), "Dartside", written 1849 [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 Joseph Holbrooke (1878 - 1958), "I cannot tell", op. 7 (Six Songs) no. 4 (1896), published 1906 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "I cannot tell what you say", published 1901 [ voice and piano ], from Love in Spring-Time, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-01-22
Line count: 19
Word count: 148