by Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833 - 1870)
A song of Autumn
Language: English
"Where shall we go for our garlands glad At the falling of the year, When the burnt-up banks are yellow and sad When the boughs are yellow and sere? Where are the old ones that once we had, And where are the new ones near? What shall we do for our garlands glad At the falling of the year?" "Child! can I tell where the garlands go? Can I say where the lost leaves veer? On the brown-burnt banks, when the wild winds blow, When they drift through the dead-wood drear? Girl! When the garlands of next year glow You may gather again, my dear; But I go where the last year's lost leaves go At the falling of the year."
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Edward Elgar, Sir (1857 - 1934), "A song of Autumn", 1892, published 1907, first performed 1897 [ voice and piano ], from Seven Lieder of Edward Elgar, no. 3, note: first published separately in 1892, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882 - 1961), "A song of Autumn", 1899, published 1923 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ed. Sachs ; composed by Edward Elgar, Sir.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 121