by Alfred Perceval Graves (1846 - 1931)
A sailor once wooed a farmer's daughter
Language: English
A sailor once wooed a farmer's daughter, The fairest lass in all the country side. She loved him well; but when he besought her With beating, beating heart to be his bride, "A sailor lad," she said, "I'll never, never wed, And live a wife and widow all in one; O no, my charmer shall be a farmer, Returning faithful with the set of sun." At danger's [call]1, across the water The sailor went, but left his heart behind; Fresh lovers whispered the farmer's daughter; Yet when they prayed her to confess her mind, "A farmer's lad," she said, "I'll never, never wed, When heroes bleed to guard their native [strand]2. Till war is over I need no lover: Then let the stoutest soldier claim my hand." [When peace returned, escaped]3 from slaughter, With stars and crosses home our warriors came, And some went wooing the farmer's daughter, But none could charm the lass to change her name; [Until once more from far a gallant, gallant tar Began with beating heart his love to tell;]4 And sweetly turning, with blushes burning, She sighed: "Since first we met I've loved you well!"
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Stanford: "warning"
2 Stanford: "land"
3 Stanford: "The war was over and safe"
4 Stanford: "Until her sailor brave returning o'er the wave/ Again with beating heart his love did tell;"
Authorship:
- by Alfred Perceval Graves (1846 - 1931), "A sailor loved a farmer's daughter", appears in Irish Songs and Ballads, in Songs and Ballads [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 Dennis Drew Arundell (b. 1898), "The sailor", published 1924 [voice and piano], note: this may be the wrong text [text not verified]
- by Charles Villiers Stanford, Sir (1852 - 1924), "A sailor lad wooed a farmer's daughter", published [1882?] [voice and piano], from the collection Songs of Old Ireland. A Collection of Fifty Irish Melodies Unknown in England, no. 31, arrangement ; London, Boosey & Co. ; dedicated to Johannes Brahms, August 1882 [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-12-10
Line count: 24
Word count: 191