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

21 Mar 00 - 11:24 PM (#199086)
Subject: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned

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

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21 Mar 00 - 11:33 PM (#199094)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Mark Cohen

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

Mark

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21 Mar 00 - 11:53 PM (#199103)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: The Beanster

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.

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22 Mar 00 - 12:14 AM (#199111)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned

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.

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22 Mar 00 - 12:21 AM (#199114)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Mark Cohen

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

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22 Mar 00 - 12:31 AM (#199121)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Mark Cohen

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

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22 Mar 00 - 12:36 AM (#199122)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned

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

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22 Mar 00 - 11:19 AM (#199135)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: MMario

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...

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22 Mar 00 - 02:55 PM (#199301)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Barbara

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

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22 Mar 00 - 03:04 PM (#199306)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: MMario

soul cake

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22 Mar 00 - 03:45 PM (#199313)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Pinetop Slim

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.

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22 Mar 00 - 04:31 PM (#199334)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: black walnut

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

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22 Mar 00 - 04:40 PM (#199341)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Helen

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

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22 Mar 00 - 09:08 PM (#199557)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: The Beanster

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

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22 Mar 00 - 09:13 PM (#199560)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned

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

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22 Mar 00 - 09:25 PM (#199566)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: Eluned

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

Eluned

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09 Sep 08 - 09:23 PM (#2435799)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,current 7th

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

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11 Sep 08 - 12:28 AM (#2437025)
Subject: Lyr Add: 'Thou poor bird, mourn'st the tree...'
From: Jim Dixon

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

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15 May 09 - 08:45 PM (#2632969)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Anonymous

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...

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02 Jun 09 - 11:41 PM (#2647094)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Guest

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!

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14 Jun 10 - 04:45 AM (#2927305)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,chepstow singing club

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

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27 Jul 10 - 11:16 PM (#2953587)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,anna

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.

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26 Aug 10 - 06:06 PM (#2973558)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST

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

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23 Jan 11 - 04:13 AM (#3080479)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,GUEST

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

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23 Jan 11 - 02:50 PM (#3080853)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Bea-Jay

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.

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23 Jan 11 - 05:39 PM (#3080981)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Doug Saum

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

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12 Feb 11 - 08:49 AM (#3093749)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Chris

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.

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17 Feb 11 - 11:22 AM (#3097208)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: Jim Dixon

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

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14 May 11 - 01:37 AM (#3153800)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST

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

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01 Sep 12 - 05:06 PM (#3398745)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST

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'.

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01 Sep 12 - 05:51 PM (#3398760)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: Don Firth

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

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06 Jan 13 - 02:28 AM (#3462005)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Elizabeth

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!

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01 Aug 14 - 01:02 PM (#3647388)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST

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

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01 Aug 14 - 02:02 PM (#3647417)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: Don Firth

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

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02 Aug 14 - 03:33 AM (#3647567)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: BobL

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.

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15 Feb 16 - 02:18 PM (#3772937)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Rachel

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!

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16 Feb 16 - 12:12 PM (#3773128)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,leeneia

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

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02 Mar 17 - 03:00 PM (#3842510)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Thou Poor Bird: A lovely, simple round...
From: GUEST,Fay

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

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