By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and...

We sat down and wept by the waters
Of Babel, and thought of the day
When our foe in the hue of his slaughters
Made Salem's high places his prey;
And ye, oh her desolate daughters!
Were scatter'd all weeping away.

While sadly we gazed on the river
Which roll'd on in freedom below,
They demanded the song: but oh
Never that triumph the stranger shall know!
May this right hand be wither'd for ever
Ere it string our high harp for the foe!

On the willow that harp is suspended,
Oh Salem! its sound should be free;
And the hour when thy glories were ended
But left me that token of thee:
And ne'er shall its soft tones be blended
With the voice of the spoiler by me!

by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788-1824) , "By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept", from Hebrew Melodies, no. 14, published 1815

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

by Alexander Lee , "By the waters of Babylon", published 1851. [vocal duet with piano]
by B. L. Moseley , "By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept", published 1875 [voice and piano], also set in German, translation by Friedrich Marc
by Isaac Nathan (1790-1864) , "We sate down and wept by the waters", published 1815 [voice and piano], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 14.
by Bryceson Treharne (1879-1948) , "By Babel's stream", published 1944. [three-part women's chorus and piano]
by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876) , "By the rivers of Babylon", published c1834. [soprano or tenor and piano]

by M. Henle , "An den Wassern zu Babel", op. 4 no. 5, published 1897 [voice and piano], from Hebräische Gesänge nach jüdischen Melodien, no. 5.
by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe (1796-1869) , "An den Wassern zu Babel", op. 4 (Hebräische Gesänge) no. 2 (1823), published 1825. [voice and piano]

by Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) , "An Babylons Wassern", op. 15 (Zwei Lieder nach Byron) no. 2, published 1884, rev. 1901.

by Carl Georg Peter Grädener (1812-1883) , "Wir sassen am Wasser in Thränen", op. 15 (Hebräische Gesänge) no. ?, published 1881? [duet for two female voices with piano]

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