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by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)

Oh tell me once and tell me twice
Language: English 
"Oh tell me once and tell me twice
  And tell me thrice to make it plain,
When we who part this weary day,
  When we who part shall meet again."

"When windflowers blossom on the sea
  And fishes skim along the plain,
Then we who part this weary day,
  Then you and I shall meet again."

"Yet tell me once before we part,
  Why need we part who part in pain?
If flowers must blossom on the sea,
  Why, we shall never meet again.

"My cheeks are paler than a rose,
  My tears are salter than the main,
My heart is like a lump of ice
  If we must never meet again."

"Oh weep or laugh, but let me be,
  And live or die, for all's in vain;
For life's in vain since we must part,
  And parting must not meet again

"Till windflowers blossom on the sea,
  And fishes skim along the plain;
Pale rose of roses let me be,
  Your breaking heart breaks mine again."

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894), "One foot on sea, and one on shore", appears in A Pageant and Other Poems, first published 1881 [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 Sidney Homer (1864 - 1953), "When windflowers blossom on the sea", op. 18 (Three Songs) no. 1, published 1908 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Jane Marian Joseph (1894 - 1929), "One Foot on Sea, and One on Shore" [ voice, 2 violins, viola and violoncello ], from Mirage, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-06-14
Line count: 24
Word count: 167

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