by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy (1844 - 1881)
If she but knew
Language: English
If she but knew that I am weeping Still for her sake, That love and sorrow grow with keeping Till they must break, My heart that breaking will adore her, Be hers and die; If she might hear me once implore her, Would she not sigh? If she but knew that it would save me Her voice to hear, Saying she pitied me, forgave me, Must she forbear? If she were told that I was dying, Would she be dumb? Could she content herself with sighing? Would she not come?
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy (1844 - 1881), "If she but knew", appears in Songs of a Worker, first published 1881 [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 William Henry Bell (1873 - 1946), "If she but knew", 1896 [voice and piano], from Three Songs ; words by Arthur O'Shaughnessy [text not verified]
- by George M. Brewer (1889 - 1947), "If she but knew", published 1927 [high voice and piano], Montréal : Édition Belgo-Canadienne [text not verified]
- by Robert Coningsby Clarke (1879 - 1934), "If she but knew", published 1907 [voice and piano], London : Chappell & Co. [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 90