The world is great (Evans, set by C. Stanford) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


The world is great: the birds [all]¹ fly from me;
The stars are golden fruit upon a tree
All out of reach: my little sister went,
     And I am lonely.

The world is great: I tried to mount the hill
Above the pines, where the light lies so still,
But it rose higher: little Lisa went,
     And I am lonely.

The world is great: the wind comes rushing by.
I wonder where it comes from; sea-birds cry
And hurt my heart: my little sister went,
     And I am lonely.

The world is great: the people laugh and talk,
And make loud holiday: how fast they walk!
I'm lame, they push me: little Lisa went,
     And I am lonely.

View text without footnotes
¹ omitted by Stanford.

Input by Ted Perry

Authorship

Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880)

The Spanish Gypsy

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 Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)

Eight songs from "The Spanish Gypsy"

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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