Love-Lily and Other Songs Dante Gabriel Rossetti Edward Dannreuther 1 All of the works in the second major section [pages 1-21] are musical arrangement of DGR's poems: only the text of each work, not the musical accompaniment, has been rendered in the markup. Also ignored are the arbitrary line breaks and hyphenation of words, which exist solely in order to “fit” each text to its musical accompaniment. Love-Lily and Other Songs Music by Edward Dannreuther; lyrics by DGR Novello, Ewer and Co. London and New York 1884 m1620.d3616 Commentary
Introduction

Dannreuther, a well-known musicologist, also set some of William Morris' poetry to music, producing <hi rend="i">Golden Guendolen and Other Songs</hi> and <hi rend="i">In the Hawthorn Brake and Other Songs</hi> in 1884.

Textual History: Composition

Textual History: Revision

Printing History

Pictorial

Historical

Literary

Translation

Autobiographical

Bibliographic

DANNREUTHER'S ENGLISH SONGS. ---------- 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. --------- Price Two Shillings and Sixpence. --------- LONDON & NEW YORK NOVELLO, EWER AND CO. <hi rend="c">LOVE-LILY.</hi> ------- 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, Within 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 Till 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. <hi rend="c">PLIGHTED PROMISE.</hi> ------- 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, Have 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, One sweet night, when fear takes flight, Shall leap against my side. <hi rend="c">A YOUNG FIR-WOOD.</hi> ------- 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 Its 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. <hi rend="c">MY FATHER'S CLOSE</hi>.<lb/>(<hi rend="i">Old French</hi>.) -------- 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, (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, So 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.’ <hi rend="c">AUTUMN SONG.</hi> ------- 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 Of 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? <hi rend="c">A LITTLE WHILE.</hi> ------- 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 The 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 To 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. <hi rend="c">LOVE-LILY.</hi> 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 heart grows faint to hear. Within the voice, within the heart, Within 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 Till 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. <hi rend="c">PLIGHTED PROMISE.</hi> 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, Have 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- -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, One sweet night when fear takes flight, Shall leap against my side. <hi rend="c">A YOUNG FIR-WOOD.</hi> 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 Its 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. <hi rend="c">MY FATHER'S CLOSE.</hi> <lb/> <hi rend="sc">(OLD FRENCH.)</hi> 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!” says the eldest one, (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!” says the youngest one, (Fly away O my heart away!) “It's my true love, my own, So sweet, so sweet. Oh! if he fight and win” (Fly away O my heart away!) “I 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.” <hi rend="c">AUTUMN SONG.</hi> 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 Of 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? <hi rend="c">A LITTLE WHILE.</hi> 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 The 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 To 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.

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