The bees' song (De la Mare, set by (Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, R. G. H. Greene, Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson, J. Frederick Keel, Samuel Liddle, Anthony Francis Dominic Milner, George Norman Peterkin)) (The LiederNet Archive: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)

by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956)

The bees' song

Language: English

Thousandz of thornz there be
On the Rozez where gozez
The Zebra of Zee:
Sleek, striped, and hairy,
The steed of the Fairy
Princess of Zee.

Heavy with blossomz be
The Rozez that growzez
In the thickets of Zee.
Where grazez the Zebra,
Marked Abracadeeebra,
Of the Princess of Zee.

And he nozez that poziez
Of the Rozez that grozez
So luvez'm and free,
With an eye, dark and wary,
In search of a Fairy,
Whose Rozez he knowzez
Were not honeyed for he,
But to breathe a sweet incense
To solace the Princess
Of far-away Zee.

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Authorship

by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956), "The bees' song", appears in Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes, in 8. Songs, no. 3, first published 1913 [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 Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960), "The bees' song", published 1938 [ SSA chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by R. G. H. Greene , "The bees' song", published <<1940, from Three Songs [sung text not yet checked]
by Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901 - 1947), "The bees' song", published 1927 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by J. Frederick Keel (1871 - 1954), "The bees' song", published 1924 [sung text not yet checked]
by Samuel Liddle (1864? - 1951), "The bees' song", published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from Three Songs [sung text not yet checked]
by Anthony Francis Dominic Milner (b. 1925), "The bees' song", published 1959 [ SSA chorus a cappella ], from Peacock Pie [sung text not yet checked]
by George Norman Peterkin (1886 - 1982), "The bees' song", published 1940 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-01-13
Line count: 22
Word count: 97