by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882)
An old song ended
Language: English
"How should I your true love know From another one?" "By his cockle-hat and staff And his sandal-shoon." "And what signs have told you now That he hastens home?" "Lo! the spring is nearly gone, He is nearly come." "For a token is there nought, Say, that he should bring?" "He will bear a ring I gave And another ring." "How may I, when he shall ask, Tell him who lies there?" "Nay, but leave my face unveiled And unbound my hair." "Can you say to me some word I shall say to him?" "Say I'm looking in his eyes Though my eyes are dim."
Note: refers to the poem often referred to as the Walsingham Ballad quoted in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text Authorship:
- by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882), "An old song ended" [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 Clifton Parker (b. 1905), "An old song ended" [ voice and piano ], London: Bossey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cyril Meir Scott (1879 - 1970), "An old song ended", published 1911 [ voice and piano ], London: Elkin ; also set in a German translation titled "Ein altes Lied beendigt" [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-22
Line count: 20
Word count: 105