by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844 - 1930)
Turn, O return!
Language: English
Chorus and soprano solo Turn, O return! In merry England Foster'd thou wert with infant Liberty. Her wild wood once was dear to thee, Her forest dells awoke to thee, Where shade and sunlight flickered, And the waters sang. Soprano solo There the birds with tiny art, Earth's immemorial cradle-tune, Warble at dawn to fern and fawn In the budding thickets making merry; While for their love the primrose faint Floods all the shade with youthful scent. Chorus Come! come! thy jocund spring renew By lakes of hyacinthine blue: Thy beauty shall enchant the buxom May; And all the summer months shall screen thy way With flowery gear, till under fruit and berry The tall brake groweth golden with the year. Return, return! Join hands with Liberty, She shall thine handmaid be! Come with song and music gay! Come with song and dance and music gay! Return, return to merry England; Return enchantress! Myriad voicèd Queen!
Authorship:
- by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844 - 1930), appears in Invocation to Music, no. 2, first published 1895 [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 Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "Turn, O return!", published 1895 [chorus, soprano, and orchestra], from Invocation to music - An Ode in Honour of Henry Purcell, no. 2. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-07-30
Line count: 28
Word count: 157