by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
God be with thee, my beloved, ‑‑ God be...
Language: English
I. God be with thee, my beloved, -- God be with thee! Else alone thou goest forth, Thy face unto the north, Moor and pleasance all around thee and beneath thee, Looking equal in one snow; While I who try to reach thee, Vainly follow, vainly follow, With the farewell and the hollo, And cannot reach thee so. Alas, I can but teach thee. God be with thee, my beloved, -- God be with thee. II. Can I teach thee, my beloved, -- can I teach thee? If I said, 'Go left or right,' The counsel would be light, The wisdom, poor of all that could enrich thee. My right would show like left; My raising would depress thee, My choice of light would blind thee, Of way, would leave behind thee. Of end, would leave bereft, Alas, I can but bless thee! May God teach thee, my beloved, -- may God teach thee. III. Can I bless thee, my beloved, -- can I bless thee? What blessing word can I, From mine own tears, keep dry? What flowers grow in my field wherewith to dress thee? My good reverts to ill; My calmnesses would move thee, My softnesses would prick thee, My bindings up would break thee, My crownings, curse and kill. Alas, I can but love thee! May God bless thee, my beloved, -- May God bless thee. IV. Can I love thee, my beloved, -- can I love thee? And is this like love, to stand With no help in my hand, When strong as death I fain would watch above thee? My love-kiss can deny No tear that falls beneath it; Mine oath of love can swear thee From no ill that comes near thee, -- And thou diest while I breathe it, And I -- I can but die! May God love thee, my beloved, -- may God love thee.
M. White sets stanza 4
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume II, New York: James Miller, 1877, pages 232-233.
Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), "A valediction" [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 Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "God be with thee, my beloved", published 1886, stanza 4 [ voice and piano ], London, Metzler [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2013-07-26
Line count: 48
Word count: 305