Turn, O return! (Bridges, set by C. Parry) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


Chorus and soprano solo
 Turn, O return! In merry England
 Foster'd thou wert with infant Liberty.
 Her wild wood once was dear to thee,
 Her forest dells awoke to thee,
 Where shade and sunlight flickered,
 And the waters sang.

Soprano solo
 There the birds with tiny art,
 Earth's immemorial cradle-tune, 
 Warble at dawn to fern and fawn 
 In the budding thickets making merry; 
 While for their love the primrose faint 
 Floods all the shade with youthful scent.

Chorus 
 Come! come! thy jocund spring renew
 By lakes of hyacinthine blue:
 Thy beauty shall enchant the buxom May; 
 And all the summer months shall screen thy way 
 With flowery gear, till under fruit and berry 
 The tall brake groweth golden with the year.
 Return, return! 
 Join hands with Liberty, 
 She shall thine handmaid be! 
 Come with song and music gay!
 Come with song and dance and music gay! 
 Return, return to merry England;
 Return enchantress! Myriad voicèd Queen!

Authorship

Robert Seymour Bridges (1844-1930)

Invocation to Music

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

Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918)

Invocation to music - An Ode in Honour of Henry Purcell

Date added to the website: 2009-07-30.

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