by David Hartley Coleridge (1796 - 1849)
She is not fair to outward view
Language: English
She is not fair to outward view As many maidens be, Her loveliness I never knew Until she smil'd on me; Oh! Then I saw her eye was bright, A well of love, a spring of light. But now her looks are coy and cold, To mine they ne'er reply, And yet I cease not to behold The love-light in her eye: Her very frowns are fairer far Than smiles of other maidens are.
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Text Authorship:
- by David Hartley Coleridge (1796 - 1849), "Song", appears in The Gem, Volume I, first published 1829 [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 Phyllis Batchelor (1915 - 1999), "She is Not Fair", copyright © 2023 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Edward Ives (1874 - 1954), "Song", 1894? [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Norman Houston O'Neill (1875 - 1934), "The Light of Love", published 1899 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Clara Kathleen Rogers (1844 - 1931), "She is not fair", op. 24 (Five Songs) no. 5, published 1887 [ voice and piano ], Boston : Arthur P. Schmidt and Co. [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: 12
Word count: 74