When green as a river was the barley, Green as a river the rye, I waded deep and began to parley With a youth whom I heard sigh. 'I seek', said he, 'a lovely lady, A nymph as bright as a queen, Like a tree that drips with pearls Her shady locks of hair were seen; And all the rivers became her flocks Though their wool you cannot shear, Because of the love of her flowing locks, The kingly sun like a swain came strong, Unheeding of her scorn, Wading in deeps where she has lain, Sleeping upon her riven lawn And chasing her starry satyr train. She fled, and changed into a tree, That lovely fair-haired lady... And now I seek through the sere summer Where no trees are shady!'
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First published in Spectator, May 1923, revised 1940Text Authorship:
- by Edith Sitwell (1887 - 1964), "Daphne" [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 William Walton (1902 - 1983), "Daphne", first performed 1923?6 [ reciter and chamber ensemble ], from Façade [sung text checked 1 time]
- by William Walton (1902 - 1983), "Daphne", published 1932 [ soprano and piano ], from Three songs, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Dan Eggleston
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 21
Word count: 131