On another's sorrow | Can I see another's woe

Can I see another's woe

Language: English

Can I see another's woe,
And not be in sorrow too?
Can I see another's grief,
And not seek for kind relief?

Can I see a falling tear,
And not feel my sorrow's share?
Can a father see his child
Weep, nor be with sorrow filled?

Can a mother sit and hear
An infant groan, an infant fear?
No, no!  never can it be!
Never, never can it be!

And can He who smiles on all
Hear the wren with sorrows small,
Hear the small bird's grief and care,
Hear the woes that infants bear --

And not sit beside the next,
Pouring pity in their breast,
And not sit the cradle near,
Weeping tear on infant's tear?

And not sit both night and day,
Wiping all our tears away?
Oh no! never can it be!
Never, never can it be!

He doth give his joy to all:
He becomes an infant small,
He becomes a man of woe,
He doth feel the sorrow too.

Think not thou canst sigh a sigh,
And thy Maker is not by:
Think not thou canst weep a tear,
And thy Maker is not year.

Oh He gives to us his joy,
That our grief He may destroy:
Till our grief is fled and gone
He doth sit by us and moan.

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Text Authorship:

by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "On another's sorrow", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 19, first published 1789 [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 Doyne Courtenay Bell (1831 - 1888), "On another's sorrow", published 1876 [sung text not yet checked]
by Harold Blumenfeld (b. 1923), "Lamentation and moral", 1972-3 [ double mixed chorus, with mezzo-soprano and tenor soli and orchestra ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by Jacques (Jacob) Blumenthal (1829 - 1908), "Compassion", published 1878 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by William Bolcom (b. 1938), "On another's sorrow", 1956-81 [ solo voices, chorus, orchestra ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 19 [sung text not yet checked]
by (Henry) Elliot Button (1861 - ?), "On another's sorrow", published 1892, from Songs of Innocence, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
by Vincent Henry Palmer Caillard, Sir (1856 - 1930), "On another's sorrow", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from The Songs of Innocence of William Blake, no. 19, London : Novello, Ewer & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Elyse Donathan Curtis (b. 1929), "On another's sorrow", c1974, first performed 1974 [ medium voice, chorus, and piano ], from Nine Songs of William Blake, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ole Carsten Green (b. 1922), "On another's sorrow", op. 27b no. 18 (1973) [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 18 [sung text not yet checked]
by Joseph Holbrooke (1878 - 1958), "Another's sorrow", op. 130 no. 18 (1934), published 1934 [ SSAATTBB chorus ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 18, London : Modern Music Library [sung text not yet checked]
by Bryony Jagger (b. 1948), "On another's sorrow", 1977 [ vocal quintet of male voices a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Jane Manton Marshall (Mrs. Elbert H.) (b. 1924), "Can I see another's woe?", published c1974 [ SATB chorus and organ or piano ], NY : C. Fischer [sung text not yet checked]
by William James Mathias (1934 - 1992), "On another's sorrow", op. 82 no. 10 (1979), published c1987, first performed 1979 [ mezzo-soprano, celesta, harp, piano, and strings ], from Songs of William Blake, no. 10, Oxford : Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
by Ellen Raskin (1928 - 1984), "On another's sorrow", published 1966 [ voice and piano or guitar ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 19, Garden City, NY : Doubleday [sung text not yet checked]
by Ronald Stevenson (b. 1928), "On another's sorrow", 1948-50, rev. 1965 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 19, another version exists for voice, flute, and string quintet (composed 1966-71) [sung text not yet checked]
by John Austin Sykes (1909 - 1962), "On another's sorrow", 1935-6, first performed 1975 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 16 [sung text not yet checked]
by David Evan Thomas (b. 1958), "On another's sorrow", 2004 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Rudolph T. Werther (1896 - 1986), "On another's sorrow" [ voice and piano ], from Book of Religious Songs, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by William Brocklesby Wordsworth (1908 - 1988), "Can I see another's woe", op. 46 no. 6 (1950) [ SSA chorus, strings, and piano ], from A Vision, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 36
Word count: 217