"Love-Song"

Love-Song

The green is on the grass again, 

And the blue is on the sea, 

And every lark is singing to 

His mate in ecstasy; 

And oh, my love, and oh, my love, 

I sing to thee! 

Wild Mary-buds are opening 

Within the marshy lea, 

And quickened saps are pulsing thro' 

The heart of every tree; 

And ah, how thy love wakes and thrills 

The heart of me! 

The green is on the grass again, 

And the blue is on the sea, 

And every bird is longing for 

The nesting-time; the bee 

Is longing for the clover-bloom, 

And I for thee! 

"Love-Song" as it appears in Ella Higginson's When the Birds Go North Again (1898).

"Love-Song" was adapted for musical pieces by two composers, Horatio Parker (1863-1919) and Charles Willeby (1865-1955). Parker wrote his composition in 1900 and titled it, "Love in May." Willeby wrote his composition in 1903 under the title, "The Green is on the Grass Again."

Here's a video of Soprano Catherine Laidler-Lau singing Parker's "Love in May" with pianist Robert Ludwig in 1996:

To watch the video on YouTube.com, click here.

Sheet music for Horatio Parker's musical adaptation of "Love-Song" by Ella Higginson.

The cover of Charles Willeby's musical adaptation of "Love-Song" by Ella Higginson. The full sheet music for this piece has not been made digitally accessible.