The Poet's Life Explained

”The Poet’s Life” is a song written by the English composer Edward Elgar in 1892, with words by "Ellen Burroughs".^[1]

The manuscript of the song has a dedication to "Mrs. Fitton",^[2] 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)

Notes and References

1. Ellen Burroughs was a pseudonym of the American poet Sophie Jewett (1861—1909)
2. Isobel Fitton, "Ysobel" of the Enigma Variations