"The Poet's Life" is a song written by the English composer Edward Elgar in 1892, with words by "Ellen Burroughs".Ellen Burroughs was a pseudonym of the American poet Sophie Jewett (1861—1909) The manuscript of the song has a dedication to "Mrs. Fitton",Isobel Fitton, "Ysobel" of the Enigma Variations but this is crossed out. The song was published in 1907 as one of the Seven Lieder of Edward Elgar, with English and German words.
Lyrics
German words by Ed. Sachs.
English
THE POET'S LIFE
A poet sang, so light of heart was he, . . . There follow'd fame, and swiftly, swiftly there follow’d fame.German
DICHTERLEBEN
Ein Dichter sang, die Weise klang so hell. . . . Und sein Nam' und Ruhm ist in jedem Mund.
NOTES
There are about 20 lines of verse, of which only the first and last are shown.
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Recordings
Songs and Piano Music by Edward Elgar has "The Poet's Life" performed by Mark Wilde (tenor), with David Owen Norris (piano). The Songs of Edward Elgar SOMM CD 220 Neil Mackie (tenor) with Malcolm Martineau (piano), at Southlands College, London, April 1999
References
Kennedy, Michael, Portrait of Elgar (Oxford University Press, 1968)
External links