by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)
A baby's epitaph
Language: English
April made me: winter laid me here away asleep. Bright as Maytime was my daytime; night is soft and deep: Though the morrow bring forth sorrow, well are ye that weep. Ye that held me dear beheld me not a twelvemonth long: All the while ye saw me smile, ye knew not whence the song Came that made me smile, and laid me here, and wrought you wrong. Angels, calling from your brawling world one undefiled, Homeward bade me, and forbade me here to rest beguiled: Here I sleep not: pass, and weep not here upon your child.
First published in Fortnightly Review, January 1888
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text Authorship:
- by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), "A baby's epitaph", appears in Poems and Ballads, Third Series, first published 1889 [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 Hopkins Densmore (1880 - 1943), "A baby's epitaph", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-27
Line count: 9
Word count: 98