by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
Paying calls
Language: English
I went by footpath and by stile Beyond where bustle ends, Strayed here a mile and there a mile And called upon some friends. On certain ones I had not seen For years past did I call, And then on others who had been The oldest friends of all. It was the time of midsummer When they had used to roam; But now, though tempting was the air, I found them all at home. I spoke to one and other of them By mound and stone and tree Of things we had done ere days were dim, But they spoke not to me.
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "Paying calls", appears in Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses, first published 1917 [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 Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "Paying calls", op. 2 no. 1 (1921-1922), published 1925, rev. 1941, first performed 1923 [ baritone and string quartet ], from By Footpath and Stile, no. 1, note: composition later withdrawn by the composer [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 103