by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)
The Winds
Language: English
O weary fa' the east wind, And weary fa' the west: And gin I were under the wan waves wide I wot weel wad I rest. O weary fa' the north wind, And weary fa' the south: The sea went ower my good lord's head Or ever he kissed my mouth. Weary fa' the windward rocks, And weary fa' the lee: They might hae sunken seven score ships, And let my love's gang free. And weary fa' ye, mariners a', And weary fa' the sea: It might hae taken an hundred men, And let my ae love be.
Text Authorship:
- by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), "The winds", appears in Lesbia Brandon, first published 1877, rev. 1889 [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 Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874 - 1949), "The winds", 1917 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Reginald Lang-Hyde (1899 - 1990), "The winds", 1949 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Walton (1902 - 1983), "The Winds", 1918, published 1921, first performed 1929 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 98