by Charles-Theodore-Henri de Coster (1827 - 1879)
Translation by Geoffrey Whitworth (1883 - 1951)
Have ye seen him pass by?
Language: English after the French (Français)
The voice of Nele, in search of Tyl Ulenspiegel, singing: "Oh, have ye seen him, ye that pass, The lover I have lost, alas ! Feckless he wandereth, knowing no tie-- Have ye seen him pass by ? As tender lamb the eagle seizeth, So on my poor heart he feedeth. Beardless his chin, though to manhood nigh-- Have ye seen him pass by ? Languisheth ever the faithful dove, Seeking, seeking her fickle love. So, far more so, languish I-- Have ye seen him pass by ?" Tyl Ulenspiegel, jokingly: "In a shaky old cart with age all green, Your feckless sweetheart I have seen ; And a glutton rides with him, like pig in sty-- I have seen him pass by!"
Text Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles-Theodore-Henri de Coster (1827 - 1879), appears in La Légende et les Aventures héroïques, joyeuses et glorieuses d'Ulenspiegel et de Lamme Goedzak au pays de Flandres et ailleurs, first published 1867 [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Cyril Meir Scott (1879 - 1970), "Have ye seen him pass by?", c1964. [voice, string quartet, piano and harp] [text verified 1 time]
- by Cyril Meir Scott (1879 - 1970), "Have ye seen him pass by?", published 1921 [voice and piano], London : Elkin [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Robbert Muuse
This text was added to the website: 2011-09-17
Line count: 18
Word count: 119