The answer

Two little hands that meet,
Claspt on her seal, my sweet!
Must I take you and break you,
Two little hands that meet?

I must take you,
And break you,
And loving hands must part;

Take, take;
Break, break;

Break, you may break my heart!

Faint heart never won,
Break, break and all's done.

by Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) , no title, from The Windows, or The Loves of the Wrens, no. 9, published 1867, rev. 1871

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

by Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) , "The answer", published 1871 [voice and piano], from The Window, or The Songs of the Wrens, no. 9.
by Sidney Thomson , "The answer", published 1893 [voice and piano], from The Window or the Song of the Wrens, no. ?

Date added to the website: 2009-03-22.

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Sheet music:

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Books:

  The Art of the Song Recital [amazon.com]
  The Book of Lieder: The Original Texts of Over 1000 Songs [amazon.com]
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