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by Coventry (Kersey Dighton) Patmore (1823 - 1896)

If I were dead, you'd sometimes say,...
Language: English 
"If I were dead, you'd sometimes say, Poor Child!"
The dear lips quiver'd as they spake,
And the tears brake
From eyes which, not to grieve me, brightly smiled.
Poor Child, poor Child!
I seem to hear your laugh, your talk, your song.
It is not true that Love will do no wrong.
Poor Child!
And did you think, when you so cried and smiled,
How I, in lonely nights, should lie awake,
And of those words your full avengers make?
Poor Child, poor Child!
And now, unless it be
That sweet amends thrice told are come to thee,
O God, have Thou no mercy upon me!
Poor Child!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Coventry (Kersey Dighton) Patmore (1823 - 1896), no title, appears in The Unknown Eros and other Odes I-XXI, first published 1877 [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 John H. Ashton (b. 1938), "If I were dead", 1973, first performed 1973 [ baritone, SSA chorus, flute, alto saxophone, trumpet, horn, and piano ], from Songs from "The Unknown Eros" [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-09-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 109

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