Roundel The little eyes that never knew Light is a song with piano accompaniment written by the English composer Edward Elgar in 1897. The words are from the fourth Roundel poetry roundel of a poem A Baby s Death written by Algernon Charles Swinburne A. C. Swinburne and originally published in the book A Century of Roundels . Its first performance was at a Worcester Musical Union meeting of 26 April 1897, ref Percy Young, Elgar O.M. , page 421 ref sung by Miss Gertrude Walker, accompanied by the composer. Gertrude Walker was the daughter of the Thomas Walker, rector of St. Peter s Church in the Worcestershire village of Abbots Morton she played the organ there and trained the choir, and had already known Elgar for many years. ref Anderson ref The song was not published in the composer s lifetime, but is now in the Elgar Society Edition. ref http www.elgar.org 9edition.htm Elgar Society Edition previously Elgar Complete Edition, Vol. 15 Solo Songs, with piano ref Lyrics poem The little eyes that never knew Light other than of dawning skies, What new life now lights up anew The little eyes? Who knows but on their sleep may rise Such light as never heaven let through To lighten earth from Paradise? No storm, we know, may change the blue Soft heaven that haply ref haply, adv. by chance or accident ref death descries No tears, like these in ours, bedew The little eyes. poem Recordings http www.amazon.com Elgar Edward dp B00002610Y The Unknown Elgar includes Roundel The little eyes that never knew Light performed by Teresa Cahill soprano , with Barry Collett piano . References http www.jstor.org pss 963052 Robert Anderson, Gertrude Walker An Elgarian Friendship The Musical Times, Vol. 125, No. 1702 Dec., 1984 , pp. 698 700 Young, Percy, Elgar O.M., A Study of a Musician , London, Collins, 1955 Notes reflist External links wikisource A Baby s Death Category Songs by Edward Elgar Category 1897 songs ... more details
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