by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882)
On this sweet bank your head thrice...
Language: English
On this sweet bank your head thrice sweet and dear I lay, and spread your hair on either side, And see the newborn woodflowers bashful-eyed Look through the golden tresses here and there. On these debateable borders of the year Spring's foot half falters; scarce she yet may know The leafless blackthorn-blossom from the snow. And through her bowers the wind' s way still is clear. But April's sun strikes down the glades to-day; So shut your eyes upturned and feel my kiss Creep, as the Spring now thrills through every spray, Up your warm throat to your warm lips: for this Is even the hour of Love's sworn suitservice, With whom cold hearts are counted castaway.
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Authorship:
- by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882), "Sonnet XXIV. Youth's Spring-Tribute", appears in Ballads and Sonnets, in The House of Life, first published 1881 [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 John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "Youth's Spring-Tribute", published 1917 [voice and piano], from Marigold, no. 1. [text verified 1 time]
- by Arthur Shepherd (1880 - 1958), "Youth's Spring-Tribute", 1908. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 117