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by Alfred Perceval Graves (1846 - 1931)

O might a maid confess her secret...
Language: English 
O might a maid confess her secret longing 
To one who dearly loves, but may not speak! 
Alas! I had not hidden to thy wronging 
A bleeding heart beneath a smiling cheek; 
1 had not stemmed my bitter tears from starting, 
And thou had’st learned my bosom's dear distress, 
And half the pain, the cruel pain of parting, 
Had passed, Cucullin, in thy fond caress.

But go! Connacia’s hostile trumpets call thee,
Thy chariot mount and ride the ridge of war,
And prove whatever feat of arms befall thee,
The hope and pride of Emer of Lismore;
Ah, then return, my hero, girt with glory,
To knit my virgin heart so near to thine,
That all who seek thy name in Erin’s story
Shall find its loving letters linked with mine.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Alfred Perceval Graves (1846 - 1931), "Emer’s Song to Cuchullin" [author's text not yet checked 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 Charles Villiers Stanford, Sir (1852 - 1924), "Emer's farewell to Cucullin", published [1882?] [voice and piano], from the collection Songs of Old Ireland. A Collection of Fifty Irish Melodies Unknown in England, no. 2, arrangement ; London, Boosey & Co. ; dedicated to Johannes Brahms, August 1882 [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this page: Mike Pearson

This text was added to the website: 2015-04-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 131

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