The death‑bed

We watch'd her breathing thro' the night,
  Her breathing soft and low,
As in her breast the wave of life
  Kept heaving to and fro.

So silently we seem'd to speak,
  So slowly moved about,
As we had lent her half our powers
  To eke her living out.

Our very hopes belied our fears,
  Our fears our hopes belied --
We thought her dying when she slept,
  And sleeping when she died.

For when the morn came dim and sad,
  And chill with early showers,
Her quiet eyelids closed -- she had
  Another morn than ours.

by Thomas Hood (1799-1845) , "The death-bed", from Englishman's Magazine, published 1831

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

by Ann Sheppard Bartholomew, née Mounsey (1811-1891) , "Parting", published 1882 [voice and piano], from Six Songs
by William Henry Gill (fl. 1890) , "We watched her breathing through the night", published 1896 [voice and piano], from Manx National Songs (text adapted by Gill to an arrangement of a Manx national air)
by Leo Kerbusch (1828-) , "We watched her breathing", published 1870. [chorale for four-part chorus (treble, alto, tenor, bass) a cappella]
by Henry J. Poole , "We watched her breathing through the night", published 1872. [SATB (and piano?)]
by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858-1944) , "We watched her breathing through the night", 1876. [SATB a cappella]

Date added to the website: 2008-01-10.

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