by William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940)
The temper of a maid
Language: English
The Swallow dives in yonder air, The Robin sings with sweetest ease, The Apple shines among the leaves, The Leaf is dancing in the breeze; The Butterfly's on a warm stone, The Bee is suckled by a flower; The Wasp's inside a ripe red plum, The Ant has found his load this hour; The Squirrel counts and hides his nuts, The Stoat is on a scent that burns; The Mouse is nibbling a young shoot, The Rabbit sits beside his ferns; The Snake has found a sunny spot, The Frog and Snail a slimy shade; But I can find no joy on earth, All through the temper of a maid.
Text Authorship:
- by William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940), "The temper of a maid", appears in Songs of Joy and Others, first published 1911 [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 Michael (Dewar) Head (1900 - 1976), "The temper of a maid", published 1929, first performed 1928 [ high voice and piano ], from Songs of the Countryside, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-17
Line count: 16
Word count: 110