Look down, dear eyes

Look down, dear eyes, look down,
   Lest you betray her gladness.
Dear brows, do naught but frown,
   Lest men miscall my madness.

Come not, dear hands, so near,
   Lest all besides come nearer.
Dear heart, hold me less dear,
   Lest time hold nothing dearer.

Keep me, dear lips, O, keep
   The great last word unspoken,
Lest other eyes go weep,
   And other lives lie broken!

by William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) , no title, from Hawthorn and Lavender with Other Verses, in Hawthorn and Lavender, no. 17, published 1901

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

by Constant Lambert (1905-1951) , "Look down, dear eyes", published 1904. [voice and piano]
by Charles Willeby (1865-1955) , "Look down, dear eyes", published <<1940, from Hawthorn and Lavender, no. ?

Date added to the website: 2008-01-19.

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