by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
The master and the leaves
Language: English
I We are budding, Master, budding, We of your favourite tree; March drought and April flooding Arouse us merrily, Our stemlets newly studding; And yet you do not see! II We are fully woven for summer In stuff of limpest green, The twitterer and the hummer Here rest of nights, unseen, While like a long-roll drummer The nightjar thrills the treen. III We are turning yellow, Master, And next we are turning red, And faster then and faster Shall seek our rooty bed, All wasted in disaster! But you lift not your head. IV - "I mark your early going, And that you'll soon be clay, I have seen your summer showing As in my youthful day; But why I seem unknowing Is too sunk in to say!"
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "The master and the leaves", appears in Owl, first published 1919, rev. 1922 [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), "The master and the leaves", op. 2 no. 4 (1921-1922), published 1925 [ baritone and string quartet ], from By Footpath and Stile, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-08
Line count: 28
Word count: 127