Ruby (1870)

a 1870 popular song
words by J. J. Lonsdale
music by Virginia Gabriel


The sheet music:


Accompaniment by Fred Feild:


Lyrics

  1. I opened the leaves of a book last night
    The dust on its cover lay dusk and brown
    As I held it toward the waning light
    A withered flowret fell rustling down
    ‘Twas only the wraith of a woodland weed
    Which a dear dead hand in the days of old
    Had plac’d twixt the pages she lov’d to read
    At the time when my vows of love were told
    And memories sweet but as sad as sweet
    Swift flooded mine eyes with regretful tears
    When the dry dim harebell skimm’d past my feet
    Recalling an hour from the vanished years
  2. Once more I was watching her deep fring’d eyes
    Bent over the Tasso upon her knee
    And the fair face blushing with sweet surprise
    At the passionate pleading that broke from me
    Oh, Ruby! my darling the small white hand
    Which gather’d the harebell was never my own
    But faded and pass’d to the far off land
    And I dreamt by the flick’ring flame alone
    I gather’d the flow’r and I closed the leaves
    And folded my hands, in silent pray’r
    That the reaper Death as he seeks his sheaves
    Might hasten the hour of our meeting there
    Of our meeting there, of our meeting there

Sung here by Eleanor Forte AI of Dreamtonics.
Sequenced by Wachy.
Video by Vancha March: