by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
At a Watering Place
Language: English
They sit and smoke on the esplanade, The man and his friend, and regard the bay Where the far chalk cliffs, to the left displayed, Smile sallowly in the decline of day. And saunterer's pass with laugh and jest -- A handsome couple among the rest. 'That smart proud pair,' says the man to his friend, 'Are to marry next week.... How little he thinks That dozens of days and nights on end I have stroked her neck, unhooked the links Of her sleeve to get at her upper arm.... Well, bliss is in ignorance: what's the harm!'
Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "At a Watering Place", appears in Satires of Circumstance, Lyrics and Reveries with Miscellaneous Pieces [author's text not yet checked 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 Betty Roe (b. 1930), "At a Watering Place", published 1993 [duet for mezzo-soprano and baritone with piano], from Satires of Circumstance, no. 1. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2009-10-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 97