Hebrew Melodies is both a book of songs with lyrics written by Lord Byron set to Jewish tunes by Isaac Nathan as well as a book of poetry containing Byron's lyrics alone. It was published in April 1815 with musical settings by John Murray; though expensive at a cost of one guinea, over 10,000 copies sold. In the summer of the same year Byron's lyrics were published as a book of poems.
The melodies include the famous poems She Walks in Beauty, The Destruction of Sennacherib and Vision of Belshazzar. A full list is:
- She Walks in Beauty
- The Harp the Monarch Minstrel swept
- If that high world
- The Wild Gazelle
- Oh! weep for those
- On Jordan's banks
- Jephtha's Daughter
- Oh! snatch'd away in beauty's bloom
- My soul is dark
- I saw thee weep
- Thy days are done
- It is the hour
- Warriors and Chiefs
- We sate down and wept by the waters of Babel
- Vision of Belshazzar
- Herod's Lament for Mariamne
- Were my bosom as false as thou deem'st it to be
- The Destruction of Sennacherib
- Thou whose spell can raise the dead
- When coldness wraps this suffering clay
- Fame, wisdom, love, and power were mine
- From the last hill that looks on thy once holy dome
- Francisca
- Sun of the sleepless
- Bright be the place of thy soul
- I speak not – I trace not – I breathe not
- In the valley of waters
- A spirit pass'd before me
- They say that Hope is happiness
Famous quotes containing the words hebrew and/or melodies:
“The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the childrens teeth are set on edge.”
—Bible: Hebrew Ezekiel, 18:2.
Proverbial reproach by God, concerning the land of Israel. The same image is used in Jeremiah 31:29.
“I tawt I taw a puddy tat a-cweepin up on me.”
—Bob Clampett, U.S. animator. Tweetys running gag, in Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies (animation series)