by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
When first my way to fair I took
Language: English
When first my way to fair I took Few pence in purse had I, And long I used to stand and look At things I could not buy. Now times are altered: if I care To buy a thing, I can; The pence are here and here's the fair, But where's the lost young man? -- To think that two and two are four And neither five nor three The heart of man has long been sore And long 'tis like to be.
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Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), no title, appears in Last Poems, no. 35, first published 1922 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Benjamin Burrows (1891 - 1966), "When first my way to the fair I took", 1927, published 1928 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michael (Dewar) Head (1900 - 1976), "When first my way to fair I took", first performed 1930 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frederick Lydiate (b. 1906), "When first my way to fair I took" [ tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Daniel Gregory Mason (1873 - 1953), "When first my way to fair I took", published 1936 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leslie Russell , "When first my way to fair I took", 1973 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from The Ludlow Cycle [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "When first my way to fair I took " [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 82