O cruel was my father (Ballantyne, set by L. Beethoven) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


 O cruel was my father
 That shut the door on me.
 And cruel was my mother
 That such a thing could see.
 And cruel is the wintry wind
 That chills my heart with cold.
 But crueler than all , the lad,
 That left my lovely Baby,
 And warm thee in my breast.
 Ah! Little thinks thy father
 How sadly we're distrest,
 For cruel as he is,
 Did he know but how we fare,
 He'd shield me in his arms
 From this bitter piercing air.

 Cold, cold, my dearest jewel!
 Thy little life is gone!
 O let my tears receive thee,
 So warm that trickle down!
 My tears that gush so warm,
 Oh, they freeze before they fall,
 Ah, wretched, wretched mother
 Thou art now bereft of all!
 Then down she sunk despairing
 Upon the drifted snow,
 And, wrung with killing anguish,
 Lamented loud her woe.
 She kiss'd her baby's pale lips
 And laid by her side;
 Then cast her eyes to heaven,
 Then bow'd her head, and died.

Input by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Authorship

Alexander Ballantyne

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

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

25 schottische Lieder mit Begleitung von Pianoforte, Violine und Violoncello

Available translations (or transliterations, if applicable):

GER

German

Date added to the website: 2004-08-18.

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