by Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836 - 1907)
O sad are they who know not love
Language: English
O sad are they who know not love But far from passions tears and smiles Drift down a moonless sea Beyond the silvery coasts of fairy Isles. And sadder they whose longing lips Kiss empty air and never touch The dear warm mouth of those they love Waiting, wasting, suffering much But clear as amber, fine as musk Is life to those who pilgrim-wise Move hand in hand From dawn to dusk Each morning nearer Paradise. O not for them shall angels pray; They stand in everlasting light - They walk in Allah's smile by day And nestle in his heart by night.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836 - 1907), no title, appears in Poems, in Two Songs from the Persian, no. 2, first published 1863 [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 George Whitefield Chadwick (1854 - 1931), "Song from the Persian", published 1886 [ tenor and piano ], from Two songs, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by William Arms Fisher (1861 - 1948), "Sad are they who know not love", published 1897 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937), "A song from the Persian", published 1894 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bertha Ford , "Persian love song", published 1881 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lucy Hamilton Paine , "Passion's tears", published 1908 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 17
Word count: 103