by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892)
If I were loved, as I desire to be
Language: English
If I were loved, as I desire to be, What is there in the great sphere of the earth, And range of evil between death and birth, That I should fear -- if I were loved by thee? All the inner, all the outer world of pain Clear Love would pierce and cleave, if thou wert mine, As I have heard that, somewhere in the main, Fresh water-springs come up through bitter brine. 'Twere joy, not fear, clasped hand in hand with thee, To wait for death -- mute -- careless of all ills, Apart upon a mountain, though the surge Of some new deluge from a thousand hills Flung leagues of roaring foam into the gorge Below us, as far on as eye could see.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesFirst published in 1833; revised in 1872
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), no title, appears in Poems [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 Dorothea Hollins (flourished 1935), "If I were loved by thee", published 1892 [ voice and piano ], from Four Songs [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-01-29
Line count: 14
Word count: 123