by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)
Believe me, if all those endearing young...
Language: English
Believe me, if all those endearing young charms, Which I gaze on so fondly to-day, Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms, Like [fairy-gifts]1, fading away! Thou wouldst still be ador'd as this moment thou art, Let thy loveliness fade as it will; And, around the dear ruin, each wish of my heart Would entwine itself verdantly still! It is not while beauty and youth are thine own, And thy cheeks unprofan'd by a tear, That the fervour and faith of a soul can be known, To which time will but make thee more dear! [No, the]2 heart, that has truly lov'd, never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close; As the sun-flower turns on her god, when he sets, The same look which she turn'd when he rose!
V. Herbert sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Herbert: "fairy wings"
2 Stevenson: "Oh! the"
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), no title, written 1808 [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 Victor Herbert (1859 - 1924), "Believe me, if all those endearing young charms", first performed 1908, stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], from The Bards of Ireland, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Roger Quilter (1877 - 1953), "Believe me if all those endearing young charms", published 1947 [ voice and piano ], from The Arnold Book of Old Songs, no. 4, London, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Andrew Stevenson (1761 - 1833), "Believe me if all those endearing young charms" [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ignaz Brüll.
Researcher for this page: Robert Grady
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-12
Line count: 16
Word count: 134