by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744)
By the streams that ever flow
Language: English
By the streams that ever flow, By the fragrant winds that blow O'er th' Elysian flow'rs, By those happy souls who dwell In yellow meads of Asphodel, Or Amaranthine bow'rs, By the hero's armed shades, Glitt'ring thro' the gloomy glades, By the youths that dy'd for love, Wand'ring in the myrtle grove, Restore, restore Eurydice to life; Oh take the husband, or return the wife! He sung, and hell consented To hear the Poet's pray'r; Stern Proserpine relented, And gave him back the fair. Thus song could prevail O'er death and o'er hell, A conquest how hard and how glorious? Tho' fate had fast bound her With Styx nine times round her, Yet music and love were victorious.
C. Parry sets lines 1-12 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
C. Parry sets lines 13-22 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744), appears in Ode on St. Cecilia's Day, no. 5, first published 1708 [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), "By the streams that ever flow", 1889, lines 1-12 [ chorus and orchestra ], from Ode to St. Cecelia's Day, no. 6 [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "He sung, and hell consented", 1889, lines 13-22 [ baritone and orchestra ], from Ode to St. Cecelia's Day, no. 7 [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Luca Antonio Pagnini) , no title, written 1800, appears in Ode di Alessandro Pope in onore di Santa Cecilia, no. 5, first published 1807
Researcher for this page: John Fowler
This text was added to the website: 2009-09-04
Line count: 22
Word count: 118