The requital (Trench, set by J. Holbrooke) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


What shall I give you, woman dear ? 
Kiss for your eyes, pearl for your ear, 
Praise to requite you, 
Toils to delight you, 
Or trophies that shall leave your name 
Canopied by outlasting fame ? 
Ah no ! much less ! 
Give me, give me faithfulness ! 

Kindness I'll give -- with sovran care 
Harbour you like some temple fair, 
With care that shields 
Your way through fields 
Flower-soft, and makes the wise of ages 
Only your ministers and mages ...
Nay, would you bless ; 
Give me, O give me faithfulness ! 

Take this instead -- this throbbing rose, 
Passion, whose cloudy cups disclose, 
Core within core, 
Sea-and-moon-lore, 
And the breath of lovers, whose exchange 
Of being and worship still is strange . . . 
Fair it is, yes . . . 
But give, O give me faithfulness ! 

'Tis true, you came with silvery zone 
All the world's dayspring in your own ; 
True that you gave 
All he could crave ; 
True, on your bosom warm and pure 
His children smile in sleep secure ; 
But no ! Ask less -- 
He will not give you faithfulness.

Authorship

(Frederic) Herbert Trench (1865-1923)

New Poems

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

Joseph (or Josef) Charles Holbrooke (1878-1958)

Date added to the website: 2008-12-31.

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