Historic Sheet Music Collection

Document Type

Score

Publication Date

1834

Comments

The Stormy Petrel, a song, the poetry by Barry Cornwall Esqr. The music by the Chevalier Sigismond Neukomm. Boston : Published by C. Bradlee, 135 Washington Street.

Some of these resources may contain offensive language or negative stereot ypes. Such materials should be seen in the context of the time period and as a reflection of the attitudes of the time. These items are part of the historical record, and do not represent the views of the libraries or the institution.

Lyrics

A thousand miles from Land are we,
Tossing about on the roaring sea;
Tossing about on the roaring Sea;
From billow to bounding billow cast,
Like fleecy snow on the stormy blast.
The sails are scatter'd aboard, like weeds;
The strong masts shake,
the strong masts shake like quiv'ring reeds, like quiv'ring reeds,
The masts shake like quiv'ring reeds:

The mighty cables and iron chains,
The hull which all earthly strength disains,
They strain and they crack, they strain and they crack,
They crack, they crack, they crack, they crack,
and hearts like stone, and hearts like stone,
Their natural, hard, proud strength disown,
Their natural, hard, proud strength, their strength disown.

Up and down! up and down!
From the base of the wave to the billows crown,
And amidst the flashing and feathery foam,
the stormy Petrel finds a home, a home,
A home, if such a place may be,
for her who lives on the wide wide sea,
On the craggy ice, in the frozen air,
And only seeketh her rocky lair,
To warm her young, to warm, to warm her young,
and to teach them spring at once,
at once o'er the waves on their stormy wing,
on their stormy wing,
And to teavh them spring o'er the waves... on their stormy wing.

O'er the deep! o'er the deep!
Where the whale, and the shark,
and the swordfish sleep,
Out flying the blast and the driving rain,
The Petrel telleth her tale in vain,
She telleth her tail in vain, in vain,
She telleth her tail in vain
For the Mariner curseth the warning bird,
That bringeth him news of the storms unheard.

Ah thus doth the Prophet of good, of good or ill,
Meet hate, meet hate from the creature he serveth still
Yet he ne'er falters, yet. he ne'er falters.
So, Petrel! spring once more o'er the waves,
Spring once more on thy stormy wing;
So, Petrel! spring once more o'er the waves on thy stormy wing;
So, Petrel! spring once more,
once more o'er the waves on thy stormy wing,
on thy stormy wing,
So, Petrel! spring once more,
once more on thy stormy wing, on thy stormy wing,
on thy stormy wing.


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