The bees' song

Thousandz of thornz there be
On the Rozez where gozez
The Zebra of Zee:
Sleek, striped, and hairy,
The steed of the Fairy
Princess of Zee.

Heavy with blossomz be
The Rozez that growzez
In the thickets of Zee.
Where grazez the Zebra,
Marked Abracadeeebra,
Of the Princess of Zee.

And he nozez that poziez
Of the Rozez that grozez
So luvez'm and free,
With an eye, dark and wary,
In search of a Fairy,
Whose Rozez he knowzez
Were not honeyed for he,
But to breathe a sweet incense
To solace the Princess
Of far-away Zee.

by Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) , "The bees' song", from Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes, published 1913

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

by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960) , "The bees' song", published 1938. [SSA and piano]
by R. G. H. Greene , "The bees' song", published <<1940, from Three Songs, no. ?
by Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901-1947) , "The bees' song", published 1927. [medium voice and piano]
by Frederick Keel (1871-1954) , "The bees' song", published 1924.
by Samuel Liddle (1864?-1951) , "The bees' song", published 1923 [voice and piano], from Three Songs
by Anthony Francis Dominic Milner (1925-) , "The bees' song", published 1959 [SSA chorus a cappella], from Peacock Pie, no. ?
by George Norman Peterkin (1886-?) , "The bees' song", published 1940. [mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano]

Date added to the website: 2008-01-13.

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