John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
George Linley 1798-1865 John Bartlett
| 1 |
| Ever of thee I’m fondly dreaming, Thy gentle voice my spirit can cheer. |
| Ever of Thee. |
| 2 |
| Thou art gone from my gaze like a beautiful dream, And I seek thee in vain by the meadow and stream. |
| Thou art gone. |
| 3 |
| Tho’ lost to sight, to memory dear Thou ever wilt remain; One only hope my heart can cheer,— The hope to meet again. Oh, fondly on the past I dwell, And oft recall those hours When, wandering down the shady dell, We gathered the wild-flowers. Yes, life then seemed one pure delight, Tho’ now each spot looks drear; Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight, To memory thou art dear. Oft in the tranquil hour of night, When stars illume the sky, I gaze upon each orb of light, And wish that thou wert by. I think upon that happy time, That time so fondly loved, When last we heard the sweet bells chime, As thro’ the fields we roved. |
| Song. 1 |
| Note 1. This song was written and composed by Linley for Mr. Augustus Braham, and sung by him. It is not known when it was written,—probably about 1830. Another song, entitled “Though lost to Sight, to Memory dear,” was published in London in 1880, purporting to have been written by Ruthven Jenkyns in 1703 and published in the “Magazine for Mariners.” That magazine, however, never existed, and the composer of the music acknowledged, in a private letter, that he copied the words from an American newspaper. The reputed author, Ruthven Jenkyns, was living, under another name, in California in 1882. [back] |