by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892)
Her arms across her breast she laid
Language: English
Her arms across her breast she laid; She was more fair than words can say; Barefooted came the beggar maid Before the king Cophetua. In robe and crown the king stept down, To meet and greet her on her way; "It is no wonder," said the lords, "She is more beautiful than day." And shines the moon in clouded skies, She in poor attire was seen: One praised her ankles, one her eyes, One her dark hair and lovesome mien. So, sweet a face, such angel grace, In all that land had never been: Cophetua sware a royal oath: "That beggar maid shall be my queen!"
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Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), "The beggar maid", first published 1842 [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 Joseph Barnby, Sir (1838 - 1896), "The beggar maid", published 1880 [voice and piano], from the collection Songs from the published writings of Alfred Tennyson, London : C. Kegan Paul [text not verified]
- by Charles George Cotsford Dick (1846 - 1911), "King Cophetua", published [1876] [voice and piano], London : Metzler & Co. [text not verified]
- by Edwin George Monk (1819 - 1900), "The beggar maid", published [1863?4] [SATB chorus a cappella], London : Novello [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-05-01
Line count: 16
Word count: 106