Cold in the earth, the deep snow piled...

Cold in the earth, the deep snow piled above thee!
Far, far removed, cold in the dreary grave!
Have I forgot, my Only Love, to love thee,
Severed at last by Time's all wearing wave?

Cold in the earth, and [fifteen]1 wild Decembers
From those brown hills have melted into spring
Faithful [indeed the]2 spirit that remembers
[After years]3 of change and suffering!

Sweet love of youth, forgive if I forget thee
While the World's tide is bearing me along;
[Other desires and darker hopes beset me
Hopes which obscure but cannot do thee wrong]4

No other [Sun]5 has lightened up my heaven;
No [other Star]6 has ever shone for me;
All my life's bliss from thy dear life was given
all my life's bliss is in the grave with thee.

But when the days of golden dreams had perished
[Even]7 despair was powerless to destroy
[Then I did learn how existence could be cherished
Strengthened and fed without the aid of joy]4

Then did I check the tears of useless passion,
Weaned my young soul from yearning after thine;
[Sternly denied its burning wish to hasten
Down to that tomb already more then mine]4

And even yet, I dare not let it languish
Dare not indulge in Memory's rapturous pain;
Once drinking deep of that [divinest]8 anguish,
How could I seek the empty world again?

by Emily Brontë (1818-1848) , "Remembrance", from Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, published 1846

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

by John Woods Duke (1899-1984) , "Remembrance", published 1966 [medium voice and piano], from Six Songs on Poems by Emily Brontë, no. ?
by John Woods Duke (1899-1984) , "Remembrance", published 1977. [medium voice and piano]
by Terry Fisk , no title, published 2002 [voice, piano], from Wuthering Heights, no. 35.
by Alfred Jepson , "Remembrance", published 1962. [voice and piano]
by Lothar Klein (1932-) , "The Grave", 1966 [high voice and viola], from Laments from Gondal, no. ?
by Joan Littlejohn (1937-) , "Remembrance", 1966, rev. 1967. [mezzo-soprano and piano]
by John Mitchell (1941-) , "Cold in the earth", op. 17 no. 2 (1976), from Visions from the Earth, no. 2.
by (Robert) Bruce Montgomery (1921-1978) , "Remembrance", published 1955. [voice and piano]

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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 Remembrance, The Grave, Cold in the earth, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for Remembrance, The Grave, Cold in the earth, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for Remembrance, The Grave, Cold in the earth, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for Remembrance, The Grave, Cold in the earth, 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