The Ballad of Semmerwater

Deep asleep, deep asleep,
Deep asleep it lies,
The still lake of Semmerwater
Under the still skies.

And many a fathom, many a fathom,
Many a fathom below,
In a king's tower and a queen's bower
The fishes come and go.

Once there stood by Semmerwater
A mickle town and tall;
King's tower and queen's bower
And the wakeman on the wall.

Came a beggar halt and sore:
"I faint for lack of bread!"
King's tower and queen's bower
Cast him forth unfed.

He knock'd at the door of the eller's cot,
The eller's cot in the dale.
They gave him of their oatcake,
They gave him of their ale.

He has cursed aloud that city proud,
He has cursed it in its pride;
He has cursed it into Semmerwater
Down the brant hillside;
He has cursed it into Semmerwater
There to bide.

King's tower and queen's bower,
And a mickle town and tall;
By glimmer of scale and gleam of fin,
Folk have seen them all.

King's tower and queen's bower,
And weed and reed in the gloom;
And a lost city in Semmerweater,
Deep asleep till Doom.

by Sir William Watson (1858-1935) , "The Ballad of Semmerwater", from The Poems of William Watson, published 1905

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

by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960) , "The Ballad of Semmerwater", 1930, published 1930. [voice and piano]
by Harold Noble (1903-) , "The Ballad of Semmerwater", 1956. [medium voice and piano]
by (Gerald) Graham Peel (1878-1937) , "The Ballad of Semmerwater", published <<1940. [voice and piano]

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Notes about green, red, and white dots

Gentle Reminder

This project is not funded. If you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated!      - Emily I also have a wishlist at Amazon.ca.

Search/Shop for

Sheet music:

  Search sheetmusicplus.com for The Ballad of Semmerwater, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for The Ballad of Semmerwater, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for The Ballad of Semmerwater, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for The Ballad of Semmerwater, 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

Classical Vocal Repertoire