A Coronal | Violets and leaves of vine

by Ernest Christopher Dowson (1867 - 1900)

A Coronal

Language: English

Our translations: CHI

   With His songs and Her days to His Lady and to Love
Violets and leaves of vine,
  Into a frail, fair wreath 
We gather and entwine:
  A wreath for Love to wear,
  Fragrant as his own breath, 
To crown his brow divine,
  All day till night is near. 
Violets and leaves of vine 
We gather and entwine.

Violets and leaves of vine
  For Love that lives a day, 
We gather and entwine.
  All day till Love is dead,
  Till eve falls, cold and gray,
These blossoms, yours and mine,
  Love wears upon his head. 
Violets and leaves of vine 
We gather and entwine.

Violets and leaves of vine,
  Poor Love when poor Love dies
We gather and entwine.
  This wreath that lives a day
  Over his pale, cold eyes,
Kissed shut by Proserpine,
  At set of sun we lay:
Violets and leaves of vine 
We gather and entwine.

Confirmed with Ernest Dowson, Verses, London: Leonard Smithers, 1896, pages xi-xii.

Text Authorship:

by Ernest Christopher Dowson (1867 - 1900), "A Coronal", appears in Verses, London, Leonard Smithers, first published 1896 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Roger Quilter (1877 - 1953), "A Coronal", op. 10 no. 1 (1907), published 1908 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Sorrow, no. 1, London, Boosey [sung text checked 1 time]
by Grigory Smirnov (b. 1985), "A Coronal", 2013, published 2013, first performed 2014 [ tenor and piano ], from Dowson Songs, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Research team for this page: David K. Smythe , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 149