The Lied and Art Song Texts Page

Come away, come away, death

Language: English

[Come away, come away, death]1,
And in sad cypress let me be laid;
Fly away, fly away, breath;
I am slain by a fair cruel maid.
My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,
[O prepare it!]2
My part of death, no one so true
Did share it.

Not a flower, not a flower sweet,
On my black coffin let there be strown;
Not a friend, not a friend greet
My poor corpse, where my bones shall be thrown:
[A thousand, [thousand]3 sighs to save,]4
Lay me, O where
[Sad]3 true lover never find my grave,
[To weep there!]5


View text without footnotes
1 Fortner: "Death, come away, come away"
2 Dring: "Come prepare it"
3 omitted by Korngold
4 omitted by Argento.
5 Amram: "did share it." [mistake?]

Authorship

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Set in French, a translation of Maurice Bouchor (1855-1929) NOR ENG SWE FRE GER Set in Swedish, a translation of Carl August Hagberg (1810-1864) NOR ENG SWE FRE GER
    * by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) , "Kom nu hit, död", op. 60 (Incidental Music from Trettondagsafton (Twelfth night)) no. 1 (1909) [canto, guitar or piano], from Incidental Music from Trettondagsafton (Twelfth night)
    * by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) , "Kom nu hit, död", 1957 [canto, harp, strings], from Incidental Music from Trettondagsafton (Twelfth night)
Set in German, a translation of August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767-1845) NOR ENG ITA SWE FRE GER Set in German, a translation of F. H. Schneider NOR SWE FRE GER [text unavailable] Set in German, a translation of Anonymous/Unidentified Artist NOR SWE FRE GER [text unavailable] Set in German, a translation of Anonymous/Unidentified Artist NOR SWE FRE GER [text unavailable] Set in German, a translation of Anonymous/Unidentified Artist NOR SWE FRE GER [text unavailable] Set in German, a translation of Anonymous/Unidentified Artist NOR SWE FRE GER [text unavailable] Set in German, a translation of Anonymous/Unidentified Artist NOR SWE FRE GER [text unavailable]
Available translations (or transliterations, if applicable):

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Search/Shop for

Sheet music:

 * Search sheetmusicplus.com for Come away, come away, death, Come away, death, Death, come away, Dirge, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
 * Search musicroom.com for Come away, come away, death, Come away, death, Death, come away, Dirge, vocal/choral music

CDs:

 * Search amazon.com for Come away, come away, death, Come away, death, Death, come away, Dirge, art song, Lieder, or chansons
 * Search amazon.ca for Come away, come away, death, Come away, death, Death, come away, Dirge, art song, Lieder, or chansons

Books:

 * The Art of the Song Recital [amazon.com]
 * The Book of Lieder: The Original Texts of Over 1000 Songs [amazon.com]
 * Search amazon.com for art song, Lieder, or chansons
 * Search amazon.ca for art song, lieder, or chansons