If thou wilt ease thine heart

If thou [wilt]1 ease thine heart
Of love and all its smart,
   Then sleep, dear, sleep;
And not a sorrow
   Hang any tear on your eyelashes;
   Lie still and deep,
   [With folded eye;]2
   Sad soul, until the seawave washes
The rim o' th' sun tomorrow,
   In eastern sky.

But [wilt]1 thou cure thine heart
Of love and all its smart,
   Then die, dear, die;
'Tis deeper, sweeter,
   Than on a rose bank to lie dreaming
   [With folded eye;]3
   And then alone, amid the beaming
Of love's stars, thou'lt meet her
   In eastern sky.

by Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803-1849) , no title, from Death's Jest Book or The Fool's Tragedy, published 1850

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

by Jack Hamilton Beeson (1921-) , "Song", 1952, rev. 1959, 1995, first performed 1958 [high voice and piano], from Six Lyrics, no. 2.
by Gordon Ware Binkerd (1916-2003) , "If thou wilt ease thine heart", published 1971. [low voice, piano]
by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) , "If thou wilt ease thine heart", subtitle: "Dirge for Wolfram"
by Brian Holmes (1946-) , "Dirge (If thou wilt ease thine heart)" [high voice, string quartet], from Death's Jest-Book, no. 1.
by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) , "If thou would'st ease thine heart", 1895, published 1895, from English Lyrics, set 3 no. 2

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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