by Francis William Bourdillon (1852 - 1921)
The Debt Unpayable
Language: English
What have I given, Bold sailor on the sea? In earth or heaven, That you should die for me? What can I give, O soldier, leal and brave, Long as I live, To pay the life you gave? What tithe or part Can I return to thee, O stricken heart, That thou shouldst break for me? The wind of Death For you has slain life's flowers, It withereth (God grant) all weeds in ours.
Text Authorship:
- by Francis William Bourdillon (1852 - 1921) [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "The Debt Unpayable", 2009 [medium voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-11-22
Line count: 16
Word count: 74