by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835)
Earth ! guard what here we lay in holy...
Language: English
Elle était du monde, ou les plus belles choses Ont le pire destin: Et Rose, elle a dure, ce que durent les roses, L'espace d'un matin. Earth ! guard what here we lay in [holy]1 trust ; That which hath left our home a darkened place, Wanting the form, the smile, now veiled with dust, The light departed with our loveliest face! Yet from thy bonds, [undying hope springs]2 free -- We have but lent our beautiful to thee ! But thou, O Heaven ! keep, keep what Thou hast taken, And with our treasure keep our hearts on high ! The spirit [meek]3, and yet by pain unshaken, The faith, the love, the lofty constancy.' Guide us where these are with our sister flown, -- They were of Thee, and thou hast claimed thine own !
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 in another version, "holiest"
2 in another version, "our sorrow's hope is"
3 in another version: "weak"
Authorship:
- by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "Monumental inscription" [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 A. J. H. , "Dirge", published 1876-1898 [ voice and piano ], from Ten songs, no. 6, London : Novello, Ewer; reprinted in Women composers: from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1998 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-10-22
Line count: 16
Word count: 138