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by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834), as Cordomi

If I had but two little wings
Language: English 
If I had but two little wings
And were a little feathery bird,
To you I'd fly, my dear!
But thoughts like these are idle things,
And I stay here.

But in my sleep to you I fly:
I'm always with you in my sleep!
The world is all one's own.
But then one wakes, and where am I?
All, all alone.

Sleep stays not, though a monarch bids:
So I love to wake ere break of day:
For though my sleep be gone,
Yet while 'tis dark, one shuts one's lids,
And still dreams on. 

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   C. Parry 

About the headline (FAQ)

First published in The Annual Anthology, Volume II, 1800

Text Authorship:

  • by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834), as Cordomi, "Something childish, but very natural" [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 Edgar Leslie Bainton (1880 - 1956), "If I had but two little wings", published 1928 [  men's chorus and piano ], partson [sung text not yet checked]
  • by John Francis Barnett (1837 - 1916), "If I had but two little wings", published 1903, first performed 1878 [  SATB chorus a cappella ], madrigal [sung text not yet checked]
  • by (William) Havergal Brian (1876 - 1972), "If I had but two little wings", published 1914 [ SA chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Franklin Morris Class (1881 - 1926), "If I had but two little wings", published 1905 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Edward Francis Fitzwilliam (1824 - 1857), "If I had but two little wings", published 1856 [ alto and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by (Charles William) Eric Fogg (1903 - 1939), "If I had but two little wings", published 1928 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hubert James Foss (1899 - 1953), "If I had but two little wings", published 1937 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by J. Maynard Glover , "If I had but two little wings", published 1924 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Fred Gostelow , "Dream thoughts", published 1900 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Louis Arthur Hamand , "If I had but two little wings", published 1912 [  men's chorus a cappella ], partson [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874 - 1949), "If in my sleep to you I fly", 1899 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ellis Ingleby , "If I had but two little wings", published 1887 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by George Herbert Jones , "If I had but two little wings", published 1929 [ SS chorus and piano ], canon [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Liza Lehmann (1862 - 1918), "If I had but two little wings", <<1918, published 1921 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Richard Harvey Loehr (1856 - 1927), "A love dream", published 1882 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by George W. Marston (1840 - 1901), "If I had but two little wings", published 1868 [ voice and piano ], note: according to Gooch and Thatcher Musical Settings of British Romantic Literature, the text is incorrectly attributed on the score to P. B. Shelley [sung text not yet checked]
  • by L. C. Maurer , "If I had but two little wings", published 1928 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hubert S. Middleton , "If I had but two little wings", published 1956 [ medium-high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Morfydd Llwyn Owen (1891 - 1918), "If I had but two little wings", 1913 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "If I had but two little wings", published 1897 [  satb chorus and piano ], from Six Modern Lyrics, no. 3, partson [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Henry Perabeau , "If I had but two little wings", published 1867 [ soprano or tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Cyril Bradley Rootham (1875 - 1938), "If I had but two little wings", 1925 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Henry Thomas Smart (1813 - 1879), "If I had but two little wings", published 1879 [  SATB chorus and piano ], partson [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by August Todt.
    • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-29
Line count: 15
Word count: 96

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