DANNREUTHER'S ENGLISH SONGS.

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LOVE-LILY

AND OTHER SONGS



BY

D. G. Rossetti

LOVE-LILY

PLIGHTED PROMISE

A YOUNG FIR-WOOD





MY FATHER'S CLOSE

AUTUMN SONG

A LITTLE WHILE



SET TO MUSIC

BY

EDWARD DANNREUTHER.

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Price Two Shillings and Sixpence.

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LONDON & NEW YORK

NOVELLO, EWER AND CO.

     

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• Between the hands, between the brows,
• Between the lips of Love-Lily,
• A spirit is born whose birth endows
• My blood with fire to burn through me;
• Who breathes upon my gazing eyes,
• Who laughs and murmurs in mine ear,
• At whose least touch my colour flies,
• And whom my life grows faint to hear.

• Within the voice, within the heart,
• 10Within the mind of Love-Lily,
• A spirit is born who lifts apart
• His tremulous wings and looks at me;
• Who on my mouth his finger lays,
• And shows, while whispering lutes confer,
• That Eden of Love's watered ways
• Whose winds and spirits worship her.

• Brows, hands, and lips, heart, mind, and voice,
• Kisses and words of Love-Lily,—
• Oh! bid me with your joy rejoice
• 20Till riotous longing rest in me!
• Ah! let not hope be still distraught,
• But find in her its gracious goal,
• Whose speech Truth knows not from her thought
• Nor Love her body from her soul.

   

---

• In a soft-complexioned sky,
• Fleeting rose and kindling grey,
• Have you seen Aurora fly
• At the break of day?
• So my maiden, so my plighted may,
• Blushing cheek and gleaming eye
• Lifts to look my way.

• Where the inmost leaf is stirred
• With the heart-beat of the grove,
• 10Have you heard a hidden bird
• Cast her note above?
• So my lady, so my lovely love,
• Echoing Cupid's prompted word,
• Makes a tune thereof.

• Have you seen, at heaven's mid-height,
• In the moon-rack's ebb and tide,
• Venus leap forth burning white,
• Dian pale and hide?
• So my bright breast-jewel, so my bride,
• 20One sweet night, when fear takes flight,
• Shall leap against my side.

   

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• These little firs to-day are things
• To clasp into a giant's cap,
• Or fans to suit his lady's lap.
• From many winters many springs
• Shall cherish them in strength and sap,
• Till they be marked upon the map,
• A wood for the wind's wanderings.

• All seed is in the sower's hands:
• And what at first was trained to spread
• 10Its shelter for some single head,—
• Yea, even such fellowship of wands,—
• May hide the sunset, and the shade
• Of its great multitude be laid
• Upon the earth and elder sands.

   

---

• Inside my father's close,
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• Sweet apple-blossom blows
• So sweet.

• Three king's daughters fair,
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• They lie below it there
• So sweet.

• ‘Ah!’ says the eldest one,
• 10(Fly away O my heart away!)
• ‘I think the day's begun
• So sweet.’

• ‘Ah!’ says the second one,
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• ‘Far off I hear the drum
• So sweet.’

• ‘Ah!’ says the youngest one,
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• ‘It's my true love, my own,
• 20So sweet.

• ‘Oh! if he fight and win,’
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• ‘I keep my love for him,
• So sweet:
• Oh! let him lose or win,
• He hath it still complete.’

   

---

• Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
• How the heart feels a languid grief
• Laid on it for covering,
• And how sleep seems a goodly thing
• In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?

• And how the swift beat of the brain
• Falters because it is in vain
• In Autumn at the fall of the leaf
• Knowest thou not? and how the chief
• 10Of joys seems not to suffer pain?

• Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
• How the soul feels like a dried sheaf
• Bound up at length for harvesting,
• And how death seems a comely thing
• In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?

   

---

• A little while a little love
• The hour yet bears for thee and me
• Who have not drawn the veil to see
• If still our heaven be lit above.
• Thou merely, at the day's last sigh,
• Hast felt thy soul prolong the tone;
• And I have heard the night-wind cry
• And deemed its speech mine own.

• A little while a little love
• 10The scattering Autumn hoards for us
• Whose bower is not yet ruinous
• Nor quite unleaved our songless grove.
• Only across the shaken boughs
• We hear the flood-tides seek the sea,
• And deep in both our hearts they rouse
• One wail for thee and me.

• A little while a little love
• May yet be ours who have not said
• The word it makes our eyes afraid
• 20To know that each is thinking of.
• Not yet the end: be our lips dumb
• In smiles a little season yet:
• I'll tell thee, when the end is come,
• How we may best forget.

     

• Between the hands, between the brows,
• Between the lips of Love-Lily,
• A spirit is born whose birth endows
• My blood with fire to burn through me;
• Who breathes upon my gazing eyes,
• Who
page: 2  
• laughs and murmurs in mine ear,
• At whose least touch my colour flies,
• And whom my heart grows faint to hear.

• Within the voice, within the heart,
• 10Within the mind of Love-Lily,
• A spirit is born who lifts apart
• His tremulous wings and looks at me;
• Who on my mouth his
page: 3  
• finger lays,
• And shows, while whispering lutes confer,
• That Eden of Love's watered ways
• Whose winds and spirits worship her.

• Brows, hands, and lips, heart, mind, and voice
• Kisses and words of Love-Lily,
• Oh! bid me with your
page: 4  
• joy rejoice
• 20Till riotous longing rest in me!
• Ah! let not hope be still distraught,
• But find in her its gracious goal,
• Whose speech Truth knows not from her thought
• Nor Love her body from her soul.

   

• In a soft complexioned sky,
• Fleeting rose and kindling grey,
• Have you seen Aurora fly
• At the break of day?
• So my maiden, so my plighted may
• Blushing cheek and gleaming eye
• Lifts to look my
page: 6  
• way.

• Where the inmost leaf is stirred
• With the heart-beat of the grove,
• 10Have you heard a hidden bird
• Cast her note above?
• So my lady, so my lovely love,
• Echoing Cupid's prompted word,
• Makes a tune there-
page: 7  
• -of.

• Have you seen, at heavens mid-height,
• In the moon-rack's ebb and tide,
• Venus leap forth burning white,
• Dian pale and hide?
• So my bright breast jewel, so my bride,
• 20One sweet night when fear takes flight,
• Shall leap against my side.

   

• These little firs to-day are things
• To clasp into a giant's cap,
• Or fans to suit his lady's lap.
• From many winters, many springs
• Shall cherish them in strength and sap,
• Till they be marked upon the map,
• A wood for the
page: 9  
• wind's wanderings.

• All seed is in the sower's hands
• And what at first was trained to spread
• 10Its shelter for some single head,—
• Yea, even such fellowship of wands,—
• May hide the sunset, and the shade
• Of its great multitude be laid
• Upon the earth and elder sands.

   

• Inside my father's close,
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• Sweet apple-blossom blows
• So sweet, so sweet.

• Three king's daughters fair,
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• They lie below it there
• So sweet, so sweet.

• “Ah!”
page: 11  
• says the eldest one,
• 10(Fly away O my heart away!)
• “I think the day's begun
• So sweet, so sweet.”

• “Ah!” says the second one,
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• “Far off I hear the drum
• So sweet, so sweet.”

• “Ah!”
page: 12  
• says the youngest one,
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• “It's my true love, my own,
• 20So sweet, so sweet.

• Oh! if he fight and win”
• (Fly away O my heart away!)
• “I
page: 13  
• keep my love for him,
• So sweet, so sweet:
• Oh! let him lose or win,
• He hath it still complete, he hath it still complete, complete, complete.”

   

• Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
• How the heart feels a languid grief
• Laid on it for covering,
• And how sleep seems a goodly thing
• In autumn at the fall of the leaf?

• And how the
page: 15  
• swift beat of the brain
• Falters because it is in vain
• In autumn at the fall of the leaf?
• Knowest thou not? and how the chief
• 10Of joys seems not to suffer pain.

• Know'st thou not at the
page: 16  
• fall of the leaf
• How the soul feels like a dried sheaf
• Bound up at length for harvesting
• And how death
page: 17  
• seems a comely thing
• In autumn at the fall of the leaf?

   

• A little while a little love
• The hour yet bears for thee and me
• Who have not drawn the veil to see
• If still our heaven be lit above.
page: 19  
• Thou merely, at the day's last sigh,
• Hast felt thy soul prolong the tone;
• And I have heard the night-wind cry
• And deemed its speech mine own.

• A little while a little love
• 10The scattering autumn hoards for us
• Whose bower is not yet
page: 20  
• ruinous
• Nor quite unleaved our songless grove
• Only across the shaken boughs
• We hear the flood-tides seek the sea,
• And deep in both our hearts they rouse
• One wail for thee and me.

• A little while a little love
• May yet be ours who have not
page: 21  
• said
• The word it makes our eyes afraid
• 20To know that each is thinking of.
• Not yet the end: be our lips dumb
• In smiles a little season yet:
• I'll tell thee, when the end is come,
• How we may best forget.