Foreign children

Little Indian, Sioux or Crow,
Little frosty Eskimo,
Little Turk or Japanese,
O! don't you wish that you were me?

You have seen the scarlet trees
And the lions over seas;
You have eaten ostrich eggs,
And turned the turtles off their legs.

Such a life is very fine,
But it's not so nice as mine:
You must often, as you trod,
Have wearied not to be abroad.

You have curious things to eat,
I am fed on proper meat;
You must dwell beyond the foam,
But I am safe and live at home.

Little Indian, Sioux or Crow,
Little frosty Eskimo,
Little Turk or Japanese,
O! don't you wish that you were me?

by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) , "Foreign children", from A Child's Garden of Verses, published 1885

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

by Mark Andrews (1875-1939) , "Foreign children", published 1911 [voice and piano], from Nine songs from "A Child's Garden of Verse", no. ?
by Thomas Crawford , "Foreign children", published 1915 [voice and piano], from Songs with Music from "A Child's Garden of Verses", no. 7.
by Edward Falk , "Foreign children", published <<1940 [voice and piano], from A Child's Garden of Verses, no. ?
by Victor Herbert (1859-1924) , "Foreign children", published 1920 [unaccompanied voice], from The Progressive Music Series
by Liza Lehmann (1862-1918) , "Foreign children", published 1893 [soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone or bass, piano], from The daisy chain: twelve songs of childhood, no. 1.
by Oskar Morawetz (1917-) , "Foreign children", 1985, from Souvenirs from Childhood, no. 4.
by Roger Quilter (1877-1953) , "Foreign children", op. 5 (Four child songs) no. 4, published 1914. [voice and piano]
by Marvin Radnor , "Foreign children", published 1923. [voice and piano]
by Alec Rowley (1892-1958) , "Foreign children", published 1963. [equal voices (SS) and piano]
by Ruth McConn Spencer , "Foreign children", published 1933 [unaccompanied voice], from New Universal School Music Series: Rhythm Songs
by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) , "Foreign children", op. 30 no. 8, published 1892 [unison voices and piano], from A Child's Garland of Songs, no. 8.
by Joseph Wardale , "Foreign children", published 1958. [SS chorus and piano]
by Luigi Zaninelli (1932-) , "Foreign children", published 1962 [SSA chorus and instrumental ensemble or piano], from The world is so full, no. ?

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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