Thomas Moore: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

How dear to me the hour when day-light dies

Thomas Moore

“How dear to me the hour when day-light dies” as printed in Irish Melodies (1821).

Thomas Moore: Collected Lyrics Text 9 1821 · historical text
Public domainIrish songRomantic ballad
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from Irish Melodies, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

How dear to me the hour when day-light dies,

And sunbeams melt along the silent sea,

For then sweet dreams of other days arise,

And memory breathes her vesper sigh to thee.

Verse 2

And, as I watch the line of light, that plays

Along the smooth wave tow'rd the burning west,

I long to tread that golden path of rays,

And think 'twould lead to some bright isle of rest!

Credits

Written by Thomas Moore

Words by Thomas Moore (died 1852). Historical text published in Irish Melodies (1821); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

Irish Melodies (1821), “How dear to me the hour when day-light dies”

Every lyric in this collection was written by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) and first published between 1808 and 1821 (music arranged by John Stevenson, 1761-1833); both contributors died more than 170 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide, and the edition carries a pre-1931 United States public-domain tag. The credited author died in 1852.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-24. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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