Lyrics: 'Ah, the thin harvest of laborious days!''

By Arthur Christopher Benson

Arthur Christopher Benson, FRSL was born on the 24th April 1862 at Wellington College, Berkshire. His father would later become the Archbishop of Canterbury. His brother was the noted E F Benson of ‘Mapp & Lucia’ literary fame.

The family was blighted by the early death of two children. Benson himself suffered with bi-polar disorder. None of the surviving children married.

In 1874 he went to Eton and thence on to King's College, Cambridge and achieved first-class honours in the Classical tripos in 1884.

From 1885 to 1903 Benson taught at Eton, but returned, as a Fellow of Magdalene College, to Cambridge in 1904 to lecture in English Literature. He became president of the college in 1912, and the Master from December 1915 until his death in 1925.

As a writer Benson was prolific across a number of genres. His essays and literary criticisms were much admired. His short story collections, mainly supernatural and ghost stories, along with several volumes of poetry were distinctive and of note.

As well he wrote lyrics for the ‘Coronation Ode’, which includes the rousing ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ set to music by Edward Elgar for the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he founded the Benson Medal in 1916 ‘in respect of meritorious works in poetry, fiction, history and belles lettres’.

A C Benson died at the Master's Lodge at Magdalene on the 17th June 1925. He was 63.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Portable Poetry
• Release date: Jan 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781803542270

Arthur Christopher Benson

Arthur Christopher Benson (24 April 1862 – 17 June 1925) was an English essayist, poet, author and academic and the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. He is noted for writing the words of the song "Land of Hope and Glory". (Wikipedia)

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Lyrics by Arthur Christopher Benson

Arthur Christopher Benson, FRSL was born on the 24th April 1862 at Wellington College, Berkshire.  His father would later become the Archbishop of Canterbury.  His brother was the noted E F Benson of ‘Mapp & Lucia’ literary fame.

The family was blighted by the early death of two children.  Benson himself suffered with bi-polar disorder.  None of the surviving children married.

In 1874 he went to Eton and thence on to King's College, Cambridge and achieved first-class honours in the Classical tripos in 1884.

From 1885 to 1903 Benson taught at Eton, but returned, as a Fellow of Magdalene College, to Cambridge in 1904 to lecture in English Literature.  He became president of the college in 1912, and the Master from December 1915 until his death in 1925.

As a writer Benson was prolific across a number of genres.  His essays and literary criticisms were much admired.  His short story collections, mainly supernatural and ghost stories, along with several volumes of poetry were distinctive and of note.

As well he wrote lyrics for the ‘Coronation Ode’, which includes the rousing ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ set to music by Edward Elgar for the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he founded the Benson Medal in 1916 ‘in respect of meritorious works in poetry, fiction, history and belles lettres’.

A C Benson died at the Master's Lodge at Magdalene on the 17th June 1925. He was 63.

Index of Contents

EDMUND GOSSE

A CANTICLE OF COMMON THINGS 

AT TAN-YR-ALLT 

FEBRUARY 

SPRING IN THE CITY

IN THE HEART OF THE WOOD 

IN THE GARDEN 

THE WIND-HARP 

BY THE GAVE

ST LUKE’s SUMMER AGAIN

NOVEMBER 

THE WINTER SLEEP

A DEAD STAR 

THE STAGE OF HEAVEN 

CLOUDS 

BY THE SHORE 

THE MILL-WHEEL

BY THE STREAM 

A LILY OF ANNUNCIATION 

NASTURTIUMS 

PINES 

ROSEMARY 

THB ORCHID 

RED FLOWERING CURRANT 

THE OREY PIE 

THE YAFFLE

VESPERS 

THE SPARROW 

WOUNDS 

THE ANT-HEAP

THE NEWT 

THE BEE ON THE GLACIER

APIS MATINA 

MORNAY 

IN THE CLOISTER 

ASCENDBNTI 

FATIDIOA

TO THE LADY KITTY 

ROSALIND 

AT NETHER-STOWEY

IF DREAMS WERE TRUE 

NO REST 

AN UNKNOWN MASTER 

OASTON DE FOIX 

TIMON 

DOROTHEA 

MY POET 

IN THE TRAIN 

AN ENGLISH SHELL 

THE ROCKET 

THE TRUANT 

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE 

IMAGINATION 

THE SECRET

LINQUENDA

OUTWARD BOUND 

SECURITY 

BEHIND THE BARS 

THE HAUNTED GLADE 

AAIM0NIZ0MEN02 

NEVERTHELESS 

REALISM

RELEASE 

DEA HYPA 

THE MOMENT 

REPROOF 

REGRET 

ATTRIBUTES 

THE PRISON WALL 

PRAYER 

CONTENT 

^ I AM SMALL AND OF NO REPUTATION; YET DO I NOT FOROET THY COMMANDMENTS ' 

IN THE FIELD 

\ CONSTRUING 

ATIiOOK-UP 

A DEATH-BED 

NEW tear's day 

M. E. B. 

AFTERWARDS 

OENETBUAOON 

THE ROBIN AND THE CREDENCE

ARTHUR CHRISTOPHER BENSON – A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY

TO EDMUND GOSSE

Voice of my sotd, how/airU your echoes ring!

Children of hope, how negligently dressed!

Friend, if you lean and listen where I sing,

I care not for the rest.

Ah, the thin harvest of laborious days!

Truest of critics and of friends most true,

The chastened glories of my slender lays

Be consecrate to you.

Rich and profuse your precious bakns were shed;

They smoothed your critic arrows, salved the smart;

They broke the stubborn pride of hand and head;

They did not break the heart!

Eton, 1894.

https://archive.org/stream/lyrics01bensgoog/lyrics01bensgoog_djvu.txt

I ."^QOO-^

. I l^i"lw- I *.

'—nee me mea faUit imago. '

A CANTICLE OF COMMON THINGS

I praise Thee, Father, for the sky.

Thy soft translucent canopy^

The pompous cloudhmd trailing by.

For large and level plains that swell

To wooded height, sequestered dell.

Not waste, but tilled and watered well;

For elms that break in cloudy green.

With hamlet roofs that peep between,

For orchards rather guessed than seen.

For water, wayward sprite, that runs

So clear and deep neath dusty suns.

To cleanse and cool Thy little ones;

For thundering weirs and silent wells,

For water-plants with humid cells,

Pink willow-herb and cumfrey bells.

For autumn with his flaming hand

Dashed on the covert^ with the brand

Of deaths and silence subtly planned;

For summer indolently fair,

For winter with her keener air.

For spring with her surprises rare.

I praise Thee, Father, for the prize

Of friendship, whether wild or wise.

The sudden glance of answering eyes;

For motions of bewildering grace.

For spirits sweeter than the face

That screens them; for that lost embrace.

For sessions leisurely and sweety

When firelight warms the idle feet.

Where fact and fantasy compete.

For music—ah, the gracious thing!—

Or blown aloft on airy wing.