Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...

Subject: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned
Date: 21 Mar 00 - 11:24 PM

that goes "Ah, sad bird, mourns the tree, where sweetly thou didst warble in thy wand'ring days; Ah poor bird, take thy flight, high above the sorrows of this sad night" was taught to me one lovely summer evening. I've always wanted to know if there was more to it. Is it familiar to anyone?

Hopefully, Eluned

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 21 Mar 00 - 11:33 PM

That's twice as much of it as I ever learned! I only knew your second part.

Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: The Beanster
Date: 21 Mar 00 - 11:53 PM

Eluned,

Do you happen to remember what kind of bird it was about?? A nightingale, perhaps? I'd have to look into it but there's a poem by a woman named Mary Darby Robinson which I think is called "Ode To A Nightingale" that sounds similar to what you've quoted.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 12:14 AM

Mark, glad to contribute! It really is a lovely round, isn't it?

Beanster, no, I don't know because those words I wrote are _all_ of the words my friend taught me. If you can write a few more lines from that poem I could see if they too fit the tune....(otherwise, it will be about 2 weeks before I can get to the library; just in case, I have written your poetess' name). Thanks for the suggestion.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 12:21 AM

Eluned, I have a collection of rounds books at home and I will check them (tonight if I have time) and let you know. I suspect that there won't be much more; most rounds I've sung are based on only a few lines. But I've been wrong before...! I will also ask the roundsters at Singtime Frolics in Oregon this weekend. It is a beautiful one.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 12:31 AM

PS, welcome to Mudcat! You'll find this an amazing place.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 12:36 AM

Thank you Mark, and indeed it is!! I look forward to anything you come up with.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: MMario
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 11:19 AM

have also hear "Ah poor bird, spread thy wings, soar in joy above the world and sing, sing, sing."

the second half as you post above works very well against "Rose, Rose". Max has that on tape from I group I sing with...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Barbara
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 02:55 PM

People have been known to sing "Ah, Poor Bird" with "Rose, Rose, Rose Red", "Hey Ho, Nobody Home" and -- shoot! there's one more, but I can't remember it at the moment. Perhaps someone else will know.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: MMario
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 03:04 PM

soul cake

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Pinetop Slim
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 03:45 PM

In "The Magic Dulcimer," Lorraine Lee says she was unable to trace the exact source of "Ah, Poor Bird," but one book credits Praetorius. She includes additional lyrics composed by Russ Mariani, one of her students: Ah, poor bird, take thy flight
Far above the sorrows of this sad night.

Come and rest in my hand;
We will fly together to foreign lands

Down below, look and see:
Mother Earth is dying.

Shall we fly east or west
Or do you see the folly in my request

What shall we do, where shall we go?
Cetainly the answer is not below

Ah, poor bird, you are right
We must search the darkness for a new light

Ah, poor bird, cry no more,
Journeys of the spirit always find their shore.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: black walnut
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 04:31 PM

you beat me to it...i was just going to type in those words from lorraine hammond's book. i play it on harp, and sing those words....

~black walnut

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Helen
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 04:40 PM

I was taught only the second verse which Eluned posted in high school, 30 years ago - with "far above the sorrows" and not "high". Always loved it. Thanks everyone for the extra verses and the information.

Helen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: The Beanster
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 09:08 PM

What beautiful words those are. Eluned, glad you found your answer.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 09:13 PM

Thank you, all!! I am thrilled to have all of this, and will indeed "sing, sing, sing"! The lyrics as taught to me may well have been originally "far above" rather than "high above", but in the tradition of folk music everywhere, it probably got mis-remembered.

I'm grabbing my notebook to joyfully take some notes!

happily, Eluned

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned
Date: 22 Mar 00 - 09:25 PM

Oh, and thanks, beanster! (They are indeed lovely lyrics, and just right to teach to a friend of mine.)

Eluned

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,current 7th
Date: 09 Sep 08 - 09:23 PM

ah, poor bird
take thy flight,
high above the sorrows,
of this dark night
   i learned it as a round w/ hey ho and rose rose rose rose

Subject: Lyr Add: 'Thou poor bird, mourn'st the tree...'
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 12:28 AM

These lyrics, and the melody, are given in

Seward, Theodore Frelinghuysen, Lowell Mason, and William B. Bradbury. The Temple Choir: A Collection of Sacred and Secular Music, Comprising a Great Variety of Tunes, Anthems, Glees, Elementary Exercises and Social Songs, Suitable for Use in the Choir, the Singing School, and the Social Circle. New York: Mason Brothers, 1867, page 54, song no. 111:

Thou poor bird, mourn'st the tree,
Where sweetly thou didst warble in thy wanderings free.

[There are lots more rounds in that book.]

The temple choir a collection of sacred and secular music, comprising a great variety of tunes, anthems, glees, elementary exercises and social songs, suitable for use in the choir, the singing school, and the social circle By Theodore Frelinghuysen Seward, Lowell Mason, William Batchelder Bradbury

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Anonymous
Date: 15 May 09 - 08:45 PM

Isn't it like:

Ah, poor bird
you must fly
to a warmer climate
and a bluer sky


In the spring
here I'll be
and you will come back again
to sing for me


Any how, that's how I learned it...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 02 Jun 09 - 11:41 PM

I came looking for a second verse that our grade sixes could sing as a farewell to their elementary school -- they chose Ah Poor Bird -- and I believe I've found it here. Thanks for 'Ah poor bird/Spread thy wings/Soar in joy above the world and sing sing sing. Thank you!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,chepstow singing club
Date: 14 Jun 10 - 04:45 AM

we sing:
Oh poor bird
Why art thou
Flying in the shadow
Of this dark hour

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,anna
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 11:16 PM

i learned it " oh poor bird
why so sad
last time that i saw you , your heart was glad."
and also as the second half of your version.
my family sings it with 'nobody home' and 'rose' as well.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 06:06 PM

i only learned "ah poor bird take thy flight high above the sarrow on this sad night

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,GUEST
Date: 23 Jan 11 - 04:13 AM

Does anybody know the meaning of these lyrics? Just curious...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Bea-Jay
Date: 23 Jan 11 - 02:50 PM

okay got the lyrics, how about tune? LOL
first time I've heard of it, like it, what tune do I sing it to?
thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Doug Saum
Date: 23 Jan 11 - 05:39 PM

When in Ireland a couple years ago this round was taught to me by John Purser. He worded it this way: "Ah, poor bird / Take thy flight / High above the sorrows / Of this sad world."
Doug Saum

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Chris
Date: 12 Feb 11 - 08:49 AM

I had a discussion last night with my singing friends about the meaning of the first line. One of them was saying that the tree mourns the bird. But surely, the bird mourns the tree, right? It says "mourn'st" and the sentence wouldn't make sense anyway, and the rest of the song seems to be about the bird having lost an anchor, not about the tree longing for the freedom of the bird.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Feb 11 - 11:22 AM

The tree represents freedom for the bird. Presumably the bird, which was once free to wander through the trees, in now in a cage.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 May 11 - 01:37 AM

I learnt
A poor bird
You must fly
To a warmer climate
And a bluer sky

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Sep 12 - 05:06 PM

The version i learned was;
'thou poor bird,
Mourn'st the tree,
Where sweetly thou did'st warble
In thy wanderings free.
Ahh poor bird,
Take thy flight,
High above the sorrow of this sad night.'
Then it went into, 'nobodys home' and 'rose' and 'shalom'.
I believe it was called,'thou poor bird teratology'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: Don Firth
Date: 01 Sep 12 - 05:51 PM

I've always heard it sung as

Ah poor bird,
Take thy flight,
Far above the sorrows
Of this sad night.

First heard it as a round sung by a group of Girl Scouts. These young ladies sang a whole bunch of really nice rounds.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Elizabeth
Date: 06 Jan 13 - 02:28 AM

Does anyone know the french lyrics for this round or the related one, Heigh Ho Nobody Home/Rose Rose Rose Red? I heard these sung together in French once but have never been able to track down the words.

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Aug 14 - 01:02 PM

In choir, we would always start with this, then "Hey, Ho, Nobody's Home", "Rose Red", and last "Shalom Chaverim" (sp)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: Don Firth
Date: 01 Aug 14 - 02:02 PM

One nice round I heard a bunch of Girl Scouts singing as they passed in a small flotilla of canoes was

Our paddles clean and bright
Flashing like silver,
Swift as the wild bird flies,
Dip, dip, and swing and back;
Dip, dip, and swing.

Then, of course, there were Boy Scout camp songs, such as

Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you throw them over your shoulder
Like a continental soldier?
Do you ears hang low?

Not Mozart, but fun stuff, especially if you're a kid.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: BobL
Date: 02 Aug 14 - 03:33 AM

The Navy version included the couplet
Do you get a funny feeling
When they bounce upon the ceiling,
not referring to ears, needless to say.


Incidentally my family used to sing this round, to a major version of the "poor bird" tune:
May God bless
All friends here
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Rachel
Date: 15 Feb 16 - 02:18 PM

Barbara, you asked (wow, 16 years ago!) what other rounds get paired with "Ah poor bird," "Hey ho nobody home," and "Rose." In my family, we often added (to a similar tune that diverges the farthest in the final phrase):

We have gathered
from the hills and factories
Trying to understand
this great wide world.

Interestingly, I see no mention of this one anywhere on Mudcat or in a quick Google search, and I know nothing of its origins!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 16 Feb 16 - 12:12 PM

Here are the words from the 1867 book which Jim Dixon (bless him) linked above.

Thou, poor bird, mourn'st the tree
where lately thou didst warble in thy
wand'rings free.

I made a MIDI and modernized the words to

Ah, poor bird, mourn the tree
where lately you did warble in your
wand'ring free.
========================
Ever since my sis-in-law, a teacher of English as a second language, pointed out to me that English speakers cheerfully pile up consonants which other people may find impossible, I have looked for such clusters.

Consider "mournst the"   rnstth
         "didst warble" dstw

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Fay
Date: 02 Mar 17 - 03:00 PM

Just come across this thread from looking for alternative lyrics to go with the tune - I was always told the lyrics below related to the English civil war (not sure they are authentic) but that the tune is originally 16thC. with different lyrics which I am trying to track down!

Here is how I learnt it -

Ah Poor bird
Take thy flight
Far above the sorrows of this dark night

When all men
Keep their own
Strive they not to put themselves upon the throne

This King now
He hath placed
In the hall of Jesus Christ his own slim face

Brother 'gainst brother
Fathers, sons fight
How are we to stem the wounds by reason's might?

Ah Poor bird
Take thy flight
Far above the sorrows of this dark night