Lily Pool Song

Subject: Lily Pool Song
From: GUEST,Storyteller
Date: 13 May 02 - 11:16 PM

We are looking for the title and origin of the song that begins - "The lonely young wife in her dreaming discerns, a lily decked pool and a border of ferns".

And the same information on a song that begins - "Long ago, long ago, so the story goes, little maids never played with the naughty beau.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Subject: RE: Lily Pool Song
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 13 May 02 - 11:28 PM

G'day Storyteller,

The first song is an Australian poem The Water Lily, written by Henry Lawson in the 1890s. The best known setting was written in 1973, by American singer Priscilla Herdman.

There have been previous discussions on this forum - but I can't find it in the Digital Tradition database ... or even using Mudcat Supersearch (just a half dozen threads that mention the song).

If it really isn't there, I might post the words and tune ... and, if I had an email address (which, if you were a member ... free .. no obligation ... &c ... you could privately e-mail to me) I could send you an image of it as 'sheet music' ... based on Chris Kempter's Songs from Henry Lawson book (sadly, now out of print).

Sorry, i can't help with the second song ... although it has a very simple style, quite like the children's chant that starts:

My mother said, I never should,
Play with the gypsies, in the wood.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lily Pool Song
From: masato sakurai
Date: 13 May 02 - 11:44 PM

The thread where the lyrics were posted is Lyr Req: the water lily.

~Masato

Subject: Lyric & MIDItxt: Lily Pool Song
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 15 May 02 - 06:56 PM

G'day again Storyteller,

Mudcat has been AWoL for a day or two, so I couldn't get back to you.

I did eventually find this thread:

the Text you want

which has the words ... and some contributions from me.

I didn't find it on my first search, and I have the words from my file, along with the MIDItxt version of the tune. (This is a text string that can be decoded by a program available from the Permathread - to give you a playable MIDI of the bare tune.)

Regards,

Bob Bolton

The Water-Lily

A lonely young wife, in her dreaming discerns,
A lily decked pool with a border of ferns.
And a beautiful child with butterfly wings
Trips down to the edge of the water and sings:
Come mamma! Come! Quick! Follow me! —
Step out on the leaves of the water lily!"

And the lonely young wife, her heart beating wild,
Cries: "Wait till I come, till I reach you, my child!"
But the beautiful child with butterfly wings
Steps out on the leaves of the lily and sings:
Come mamma! Come! Quick! Follow me! —
Step out on the leaves of the water lily!"

And the wife in her dreaming steps out on the stream,
But the lily leaves sink and she wakes from her dream."
Ah, the waking is sad, for the tears that it brings,
And she knows 'tis her dead baby's spirit that sings:
Come mamma! Come! Quick! Follow me! —
Step out on the leaves of the water lily!"

This is Priscilla Herdman's tune, rendered in Alan of Oz's MIDItxt program.

MIDI file: waterlly.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 3/4 24 8
Tempo: 120 (500000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0600 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0384 0 64 064 0096 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0450 0 62 064 0030 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 62 080 0384 0 62 064 0096 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 62 080 0288 0 62 064 0072 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 64 080 0384 0 64 064 0096 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 62 080 0288 0 62 064 0072 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 59 080 0288 0 59 064 0072 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 62 080 0576 0 62 064 0144 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0576 0 69 064 0144 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 67 080 0384 0 67 064 0096 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 62 080 0384 0 62 064 0096 1 57 080 0096 0 57 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 59 080 0576 0 59 064
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:3/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
D6|B,2D2D2|A3G^F2|G2^F2E2|E4D2|B,2D2D2|D4ED|
C2B,2A,2|D4DC|B,D3D2|A2G2^F2|G2^FE3|E4D2|
B,2D3D|D2E3D|CB,3A,2|D6|C2C2A2|A6|B2BA3|G4B,2|
C2C2D2|D4A,B,|C2D2C2|B,19/4||

Subject: RE: Lily Pool Song
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 15 May 02 - 08:39 PM

Er ... G'day again Storyteller,

When the Mudcat finally surfaced, I popped in the file I had sitting around, waiting to send it to you, for nearly two days ... and overlooked Masato's prompt link to the appropriate thread. Anyway, you should be able to decode the MIDItxt file, with Alan's little software app, and hear the tune.

If you would prefer the dots, give me an e-mail address and I will send you a PDF (if your PC speaks Adobe), or a GIFF image that will print in any image program, of the words and tune as "sheet music" set in my music program.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lily Pool Song
From: Bill D
Date: 15 May 02 - 09:12 PM

and 'most' of Lawson's works can be found at this text site.... scroll down. Banjo Patterson, too...and MUCH more.