A little girl lost | Reading this indignant page

Reading this indignant page

Language: English

   Children of the future Age 
   Reading this indignant page, 
   Know that in a former time 
   Love! sweet Love! was thought a crime. 

In the Age of Gold, 
Free from winter's cold, 
Youth and maiden bright 
To the holy light, 
Naked in the sunny beams delight. 

Once a youthful pair, 
Fill'd with softest care, 
Met in garden bright 
Where the holy light 
Had just remov'd the curtains of night. 

There, in rising day, 
On the grass they play; 
Parents were afar, 
Strangers came not near, 
And the maiden soon forgot her fear. 

Tired with kisses sweet, 
They agree to meet 
When the silent sleep 
Waves o'er heaven's deep, 
And the weary tired wanderers weep. 

To her father white 
Came the maiden bright; 
But his loving look, 
Like the holy book, 
All her tender limbs with terror shook. 

``Ona! pale and weak! 
To thy father speak: 
O, the trembling fear! 
O, the dismal care! 
That shakes the blossoms of my hoary hair.''

T. Lenk sets stanzas 1-2 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
T. Lenk sets stanzas 3-7 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "A little girl lost", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 23, first published 1794 [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 William Bolcom (b. 1938), "A little girl lost", 1956-81 [ solo voices, chorus, orchestra ], from Songs of Experience, Volume Two, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Norman Curtis (b. 1933), "A little girl lost", c1959 [ voice and piano ], from William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, no. 20 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ole Carsten Green (b. 1922), "A little girl lost", op. 27a no. 23 (1973) [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Experience, no. 23 [sung text not yet checked]
by (Thomas) Timothy Lenk (b. 1952), "A little girl lost (Introd. Children of the future)", c1977, stanzas 1-2 [ tenor, bass-baritone, flute (piccolo), clarinet, bass clarinet, and violin ], from Songs of Innocence and Experience, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
by (Thomas) Timothy Lenk (b. 1952), "A little girl lost (Once a youthful pair)", c1977, stanzas 3-7 [ tenor, bass-baritone, flute (piccolo), clarinet, bass clarinet, and violin ], from Songs of Innocence and Experience, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
by Irene Silbert , "A little girl lost ", c1972 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Ahmed E. Ismail

This text was added to the website: 2005-01-17
Line count: 34
Word count: 161