Origins: Dear Harp of My Country (Thomas Moore)

13 Nov 23 - 04:47 PM (#4186894)
Subject: ADD:: Dear Harp of my Country (Thomas Moore)
From: Joe Offer

DEAR HARP OF MY COUNTRY!
English source: Thomas Moore

Dear Harp of my Country! in darkness I found thee,
The cold chain of silence had hung o’er thee long;
When proudly, my own Island Harp! I unbound thee
And gave all thy chords to light, freedom and song!

The warm lay of love and the light tone of gladness
Have waken’d thy fondest, thy liveliest thrill;
But so oft hast thou echo’d the deep sigh of sadness,
That e’en in thy mirth it will steal from thee still.

Dear Harp of my Country! farewell to thy numbers
This sweet wreath of song is the last we shall twine,
Go, sleep with the sunshine of Fame on thy slumbers,
Till touch’d by some hand less unworthy than mine.

If the pulse of the patriot, soldier, or lover,
Have throbb’d at our lay ’tis thy glory alone;
I was but as the wind, passing heedlessly over,
And all the wild sweetness I waked was thy own!

https://oxfordsong.org/song/dear-harp-of-my-country

Usual melody is by Benjamin Britten, but can be sung to "The Ash Grove."

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13 Nov 23 - 05:21 PM (#4186896)
Subject: Origins: Dear Harp of My Country (Thomas Moore)
From: Thompson

Thomas Moore was Robert Emmet's best friend…

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13 Nov 23 - 05:45 PM (#4186895)
Subject: Origins: Dear Harp of My Country (Thomas Moore)
From: Helen

The sentiments expressed in this song reminds me of another of Thomas Moore's songs, The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls.

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14 Nov 23 - 09:02 AM (#4186890)
Subject: Origins: Dear Harp of My Country (Thomas Moore)
From: GUEST

Each time Moore's songs get mentioned I wonder who sings that stuff, nobody I ever come across.
Anyhow, I have an old edition of Moore's melodies, the air given for this particular song is "New Langolee'.

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15 Nov 23 - 04:24 PM (#4186897)
Subject: RE: Origins: Dear Harp of My Country (Thomas Moore)
From: GerryM

5th line, I found about half the internet sites had the word "tone", the other half had "note". I don't know which way Moore wrote it.

Concerning "Langolee", there's a website that says that word is Irish slang for the erect male member.

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19 Nov 23 - 04:22 AM (#4186892)
Subject: RE: Origins: Dear Harp of My Country (Thomas Moore)
From: GUEST

My 1887 edition has "light note of gladness".

'Langer' is still part of the Cork vernacular.

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19 Nov 23 - 04:25 AM (#4186893)
Subject: RE: Origins: Dear Harp of My Country (Thomas Moore)
From: GUEST

Following on that: The Langer song (by Natural Gas)

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