by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)
A Lyke‑Wake Song
Language: English
Fair of face, full of pride, Sit ye down by a dead man's side. Ye sang songs a' the day: Sit down at night in the red worm's way. Proud ye were a' day long: Ye'll be but lean at evensong. Ye had gowd kells on your hair: Nae man kens what ye were. Ye set scorn by the silken stuff: Now the grave is clean enough. Ye set scorn by the rubis ring: Now the worm is a saft sweet thing. Fine gold and blithe fair face, Ye are come to a grimly place. Gold hair and glad grey een, Nae man kens if ye have been.
Text Authorship:
- by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), "A Lyke-Wake Song", appears in Lesbia Brandon, first published 1877, rev. 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 Reginald Lang-Hyde (1899 - 1990), "A Lyke-Wake Song", 1949. [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: 16
Word count: 108