Lyr Req: The Lady of the Lea (WH Bellamy/H Smart)

Subject: Have you heard of 'lady of the lea?'
From:
Date: 10 Jan 00 - 01:21 PM

A few years ago, on a made for TV movie called "A Mother's Gift" (based on a book by Bess Streeter Aldrich, called "A Lantern In Her Hand") A song was used, possibly called "The Lady of The Lea". The lyrics basically are, "Oh the lady of the lea, fair and young and gay was she, beautiful exceedingly, the lady of the lea./ When she held in bower or hall, banquet high or festival, every side her glance would fall, the lady of the lea. / To her bower at last came, a youthfull Knight of noble name, hand and heart in hope to claim, and in love fell she. / Still she puts his suit aside, so he left her in her pride, broken hearted, drooped and died, the lady of the lea./" Basically I want to find out if this is an actual folk song, from where, and when it originated. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it greatly. Thank You.

Subject: RE: Have you heard of 'lady of the lea?'
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jan 00 - 11:30 PM

Refresh.

Subject: RE: Have you heard of 'lady of the lea?'
From: GUEST,ameeah
Date: 05 Mar 09 - 10:38 AM

um i havn't heard of this song but i was looking it up for a school project... and i hope to hear it someday =)

Subject: RE: Have you heard of 'lady of the lea?'
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 05 Mar 09 - 12:08 PM

Quite a blast from the past, this old thread. Never seen it before, but the question is easily answered nowadays. 'The Lady of the Lea' was written by W H Bellamy (words) and Henry Smart (music) in 1862 or thereabouts; full sheet music can be seen via Google Books in D H Morrison's Treasury of Song for the Home Circle, pages 245-249:

The Lady of the Lea

Subject: RE: Have you heard of 'lady of the lea?'
From: GUEST,Tessatopia
Date: 18 May 10 - 01:44 AM

i was watching the hallmark channel and heard the Lady of the Lea song tried looking it up and this is what i found so hey i just uploaded the video at the beginning of the movie of her singing on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd2uJMOj4NI

Subject: RE: Have you heard of 'lady of the lea?'
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 May 10 - 11:56 AM

Thanks, Tessatopia. It's a lovely tune.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE LADY OF THE LEA (WH Bellamy/H Smart)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Feb 11 - 10:22 PM

From The Treasury of Song for the Home Circle by Daniel H. Morrison (Philadelphia: Hubbard Brothers, 1882), page 245:


THE LADY OF THE LEA
Words, W. H. Bellamy. Music, Henry Smart. 1861*

Oh! the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,
Beautiful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea.
Many a wooer sought her hand
For she had gold, and she had land,
Ev'rything at her command,
The Lady of the Lea.
Oh! the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,
Fanciful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea,
The Lady of the Lea.

When she held, in bow'r or hall,
Banquet high or festival,
On ev'ry side her glance would fall,
Sparking merrily
But when ask'd if she would wed,
She would toss her dainty head,
Saying, laughingly, instead,
"Sirs, we would be free.
Time enough I trow," quoth she,
"When we're tir'd of liberty;
For the present we would be,
The Lady of the Lea,
The Lady of the Lea."

To her bow'r at length there came,
A youthful Knight of noble name,
Hand and heart in hope to claim,
And in love fell she.
Still she put his suit aside,
So he left her in her pride;
And broken hearted, droop'd and died,
The Lady of the Lea!
Oh! the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young as fair could be,
Cold within the tomb lies she!
Sleeping peacefully!
Sleeping peacefully!


* Advertisements for the sheet music, marked "Just Published" appeared in The Musical World in 1861.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Lady of the Lea (WH Bellamy/H Smart)
From: RunrigFan
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 12:02 AM

From

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TpcmID8RgeQC&pg=PA130&dq=Oh!+the+Lady+of+the+Lea,+fair+and+young&hl=en&ei=YT5jTZ2MB4OI4gaIspj5CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Oh!%20the%20Lady%20of%20the%20Lea%2C%20fair%20and%20young&f=false





Oh! the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,
Beautiful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea.

For she had gold and she had land
Everything at her command
The Lady of the Lea

Dreaming visions longingly
The lady of the lea


http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks05/0500521h.html

full version *soz for repeats, just doing it like the site

"Oh! the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,
Beautiful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea."

"Many a wooer sought her hand,
For she had gold and she had land,"
"Everything at her command,
The Lady of the Lea."

"Oh, the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,
"Fanciful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea."

"Oh, the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,
Beautiful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea."

"To her bower at last there came,
A youthful knight of noble name,
Hand and heart in hope to claim
And in love fell she."

"Still she put his suit aside,
So he left her in her pride,
And broken-hearted drooped and died,
The Lady--"

"Oh, the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,"
"Beautiful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea."

Oh, the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,"
"Dreamed of visions longingly,
The Lady of the Lea."

"Oh! the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she."
"Beautiful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea."

"Many a wooer sought her hand,
For she had gold and she had land,"
"Everything at her command,
The Lady of the Lea."

"Oh, the Lady of the Lea,
Fair and young and gay was she,
Beautiful exceedingly,
The Lady of the Lea."

"For she had gold and she had land,
Everything at her command,
The Lady of the Lea."

"Dreaming visions longingly,
The Lady of the Lea."

i think thats it, someone can recheck if they need to

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Lady of the Lea (WH Bellamy/H Smart)
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 11:26 PM

there is a girl that sings the whole thing on youtube

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Lady of the Lea (WH Bellamy/H Smart)
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 10 Apr 21 - 05:39 PM

Here we are - April 2021 - 21 years after the original question, and 10 years after the most 'recent' comment. I just watched a rerun of the Hallmark Movie "A Mother's Gift" (from 1995) and had to do a google search to see if the haunting "The Lady of the Lea" was a traditional folk song, or something written for the TV movie. Many thanks to all of you who answered the question, and provided the lyrics to what turned out to be a very old song. I've been singing it all day - from what I could remember from the movie - and I'm glad to see all of the lyrics here.