This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Fair Daffodils
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Fair Daffodils by Arthur Sullivan — Lyrics
Fair Daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the earlyrising sun
Has not attain'd his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the evensong;
And, having pray'd together, we
Will go with you along.
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About Fair Daffodils
Arthur Sullivan's Fair Daffodils captures the poignant transience of spring, reflecting on the fleeting beauty of nature and the brevity of human life. The SATB choir sings in English, setting words that lament the early departure of the daffodils, wishing they could stay longer until evening. The text draws a parallel between the short life of the flowers and our own, acknowledging that like the morning dew or summer rain, our time is brief and our presence ephemeral. This partsong evokes a gentle melancholy, a contemplation of mortality set against the backdrop of the changing seasons, making it a reflective and expressive choice for a choir.
