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by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945)

The adoration
Language: English 
Why have you brought me myrrh,
And frankincense and gold?
Lay at the feet of her
Whom you have loved of old
Your frankincense and gold.

I have brought frankincense
And myrrh and gold to you,
From weary lands far hence
That I have journeyed through
To come at last to you.

I cannot take your gold
And frankincense and myrrh;
My heart was growing cold
While you were following her:
Take back your gold and myrrh.

Too late I come to you
With prayers of frankincense:
Pure gold, sweet myrrh, ye too,
Scorned, must go hence, far hence
As smoking frankincense.

Text Authorship:

  • by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945), "The adoration", appears in Poems of Arthur Symons, Volume 2, in The Loom of Dreams, first published 1914 [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 John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "The adoration", 1918, published 1919 [medium voice and piano], from Three Songs, no. 1. [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 102

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