by James Stephens (1882 - 1950)
Shepherd ! while the lambs do feed
Language: English
Shepherd ! while the lambs do feed, And you rest beneath a tree, Pipe upon an oaten reed Merrily and merrily. Should it rain do not forbear Rain comes from the happy sky Tune us now a quiet air Till the shower passes by. Back the sun will come in gold ! Pipe away, my dear, until Evening brings the lambs to fold You may weep then if you will.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by James Stephens (1882 - 1950), "The piper", appears in The Adventures of Seumas Beg [and] The Rocky Road to Dublin, first published 1915 [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 Samuel Hans Adler (b. 1928), "The piper", published 1963 [ high voice and piano ], from Four Poems of James Stephens, no. 3, Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "The Piper" [ children's chorus ], from Three Songs for Children's Voices, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William C. Stickles (1883 - 1971), "Shepherd, play a little air", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Phyllis Taylor , "The piper", published 1926 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-22
Line count: 12
Word count: 69