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by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)

Thirty‑one pale maidens, clad
Language: English 
Thirty-one pale maidens, clad
All in mourning dresses,
Pass, with lips and eyes more sad
That it seems they should be glad,
Heads discrowned of crowns they had,
Grey for golden tresses.

Grey their girdles too for green,
And their veils dishevelled:
None would say, to see their mien,
That the least of these had been
Born no baser than a queen,
Reared where flower-fays revelled.

Dreams that strive to seem awake,
Ghosts that walk by daytime,
Weary winds the way they take,
Since, for one child's absent sake,
May knows well, whate'er things make
Sport, it is not Maytime.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), no title, appears in Tristram of Lyonesse and Other Poems, in A Dark Month, no. 5, first published 1882 [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 Reginald Lang-Hyde (1899 - 1990), "Thirty-one pale maidens", 1950. [voice and piano] [
     text not verified 
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-27
Line count: 18
Word count: 100

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