by Alfred Perceval Graves (1846 - 1931)
St. Mary's Bells
Language: English
How many a time in Cratla’s dells I list your chime, St. Mary’s bells! And hearing, seem to find unfold, As in a dream, the legend old; Which tells of one with a master’s hand, Who of silver spun your magic bland, That from your tower, at the holy hour, Around us swells, St. Mary’s Bells. Again I view you founder sail The ocean blue for Innisfail; Again I hark the breakers roar About his bark on Shannon shore; Till in heaven-sent calm to the hope forlorn, Your angel psalm o’er the ocean borne Rings on his ear with rapture clear, And with tears he tells his own sweet bells.
Authorship:
- by Alfred Perceval Graves (1846 - 1931), "St. Mary's Bells" [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 Charles Villiers Stanford, Sir (1852 - 1924), "St. Mary's Bells", published [1882?] [voice and piano], from the collection Songs of Old Ireland. A Collection of Fifty Irish Melodies Unknown in England, no. 13, arrangement ; London, Boosey & Co. ; dedicated to Johannes Brahms, August 1882 [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Mike Pearson
This text was added to the website: 2015-04-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 110