by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835)
Bird of the greenwood!
Language: English
Bird of the greenwood!
[Oh! why]1 art thou here?
Leaves dance not o'er thee,
Flowers bloom not near.
All the sweet waters
Far hence are at play —
Bird of the greenwood!
Away, away!
Where the mast quivers,
Thy place will not be,
As midst the waving
Of wild rose and tree.
How should'st thou battle
With storm and with spray?
Bird of the greenwood!
Away, away!
Or art thou seeking
Some brighter land,
Where by the south-wind
Vine leaves are fanned?
Midst the wild billows
Why then delay?
Bird of the greenwood!
Away, away!
"Chide not my lingering
Where storms are dark;
A hand that hath nursed me
Is in the bark;
A heart that hath cherished
Through winter's long day,
So I turn from the greenwood,
Away, away!"
W. Wallace sets stanzas 1, 3-4
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Felicia Hemans, National Lyrics, and Songs for Music, Dublin: William Curry Jun. and Company, 1834.
1 Wallace: "why!"Text Authorship:
- by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "The Bird at Sea", appears in National lyrics and songs for music [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 William Vincent Wallace (1812 - 1865), "Bird of the greenwood", stanzas 1,3-4 [ voice and piano ], New York, William A. Pond & Co [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-06-12
Line count: 32
Word count: 131