by William Ernest Henley (1849 - 1903)
Look down, dear eyes, look down
Language: English
Look down, dear eyes, look down, Lest you betray her gladness. Dear brows, do naught but frown, Lest men miscall my madness. Come not, dear hands, so near, Lest all besides come nearer. Dear heart, hold me less dear, Lest time hold nothing dearer. Keep me, dear lips, O, keep The great last word unspoken, Lest other eyes go weep, And other lives lie broken!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Ernest Henley (1849 - 1903), no title, appears in Hawthorn and Lavender with Other Verses, in Hawthorn and Lavender, no. 17, first published 1901 [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 Constant Lambert (1905 - 1951), "Look down, dear eyes", published 1904. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
- by Charles Willeby (1865 - 1955), "Look down, dear eyes", published <<1940, from Hawthorn and Lavender [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 65