by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
When Adam walked in Eden young
Language: English
When Adam walked in Eden young
Happy, 'tis writ, was he,
While high the fruit of knowledge hung
Unbitten on the tree.
Happy was he the livelong day:
I doubt 'tis written wrong:
The heart of man, for all they say,
Was never happy long.
And now my feet are tired of rest
And here they will not stay
And the soul fevers in my breast
And aches to be away.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), no title, appears in Additional Poems, no. 3, first published 1939 [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 Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "Adam", c1965-70. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
- by John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "When Adam walked in Eden young", published 2001 [baritone and piano], from Four Housman Songs, no. 3, Da Capo Music Ltd. [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-03-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 71