George Whitefield Chadwick: Three Partsongs (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


Darest thou now O soul,
Walk out with me toward the unknown region,
Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

No map there, nor guide,
Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand,
Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

I know it not O soul;
Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us,
All waits undream'd of in that region, that inaccessible land.

Till when the ties loosen,
All but the ties eternal, Time and Space,
Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bound us.

Then we burst forth, we float,
In Time and Space O soul, prepared for them,
Equal, equipt at last, (O joy! O fruit of all!) them to fulfil O soul.

Input by Ted Perry

2. Credo

Language: English

Authorship

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863)

Five German Ditties

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For the sole edification
Of this decent congregation,
Goodly people, by your grant
I will sing a holy chant--
I will sing a holy chant.
If the ditty sound but oddly,
'Twas a father, wise and godly,
Sang it so long ago--
Then sing as Martin Luther sang,
As Doctor Martin Luther sang:
"Who loves not wine, woman and song,
He is a fool his whole life long!"

He, by custom patriarchal,
Loved to see the beaker sparkle;
And he thought the wine improved,
Tasted by the lips he loved--
By the kindly lips he loved.
Friends, I wish this custom pious
Duly were observed by us,
To combine love, song, wine,
And sing as Martin Luther sang,
As Doctor Martin Luther sang:
"Who loves not wine, woman and song,
He is a fool his whole life long!"

Who refuses this our Credo,
And who will not sing as we do,
Were he holy as John Knox,
I'd pronounce him heterodox!
I'd pronounce him heterodox,
And from out this congregation,
With a solemn commination,
Banish quick the heretic,
Who will not sing as Luther sang,
As Doctor Martin Luther sang:
"Who loves not wine, woman and song,
He is a fool his whole life long!"

First published in Cornhill Magazine, January 1861 - August 1862, as part of "The Adventures of Philip" with the title "Doctor Luther", revised and published separately 1869. First line used to read "For the souls' edification"

3. Pack, clouds, away

Language: English

Authorship

Thomas Heywood (?1574-1641)


Pack, clouds, away, and welcome day,
  With night we banish sorrow;
Sweet air, blow soft; mount, lark, aloft
  To give my Love good-morrow!
Wings from the wind, to please her mind,
  Notes from the lark I'll borrow;
Bird, prune thy wing, nightingale, sing,
  To give my Love good-morrow!
    To give my Love good-morrow
    Notes from them all I'll borrow.

Wake from the nest, robin-redbreast,
  Sing, birds, in every furrow;
And from each bill, let music shrill
  Give my fair Love good-morrow!
Blackbird and thrush in every bush,
  Stare, linnet, and cock-sparrow,
You pretty elves, amongst yourselves
  Sing my fair Love good-morrow!
    To give my Love good-morrow
    Sing, birds, in every furrow!