Title: The Death of Nelson
Music: John Braham (1774-1856)
Arranger: Granville Bantock (1868-1946)
Text: Samuel James Arnold (1774-1852)
Free at Art Song Central (PDF files):
Recitative:
O’er Nelson’s Tomb,
With silent grief oppress’d,
Britannia mourns her Hero,
Now at rest:
But those bright laurels
Ne’er shall fade with years,
Whose leaves are water’d
By a Nation’s tears.
Aria:
‘Twas in Trafalgar’s bay
We saw the Frenchman lay,
Each heart was bounding then.
We scorned the foreign yoke,
For our Ships were British Oak,
And hearts of oak our men!
Our Nelson mark’d them on the wave,
Three cheers our gallant Seamen gave,
Nor thought of home or beauty.
Along the line this signal ran,
England expects that ev’ry man
This day will do his duty!
And now the cannons roar
Along th’affrighted shore,
Our Nelson led the way,
His Ship the Vict’ry nam’d!
Long be that Vict’ry famed,
For Vict’ry crowned the day!
But dearly was that conquest bought,
Too well the gallant Hero fought,
For England, home and beauty.
He cried as ‘midst the fire he ran,
“England shall find that ev’ry man
This day will do his duty!”
At last the fatal wound,
Which spread dismay around,
The Hero’s breast received;
“Heav’n fights on our side,
The day’s our own,” he cried!
“Now long enough I’ve lived!
In honour’s cause my life was past,
In honour’s cause I fell at last,
For England, home and beauty.”
Thus ending life as he began,
England confessed that ev’ry man,
That day had done his duty!
