The Unquiet Grave

"The Unquiet Grave" is an English folk song in which a young man mourns his dead love too hard and prevents her from obtaining peace. It is thought to date from 1400 and was collected in 1868 by Francis James Child, as Child Ballad number 78.

There are many different versions of this ballad.

Synopsis

A man mourns his true love for "a twelve month and a day". At the end of that time, the dead woman complains that his weeping is keeping her from peaceful rest. He begs a kiss. She tells him it would kill him. When he persists, wanting to join her in death, she explains that once they were both dead their hearts would simply decay, and that he should enjoy life while he has it.

Variants

The version noted by Cecil Sharp ends with "When will we meet again? / When the autumn leaves that fall from the trees / Are green and spring up again."

Variants and images of old broadsides can be found at Joe Offer's copy of the folkinfo archive.

The song is played to different melodies, one of which is that used by Dives and Lazarus.

The Unquiet Grave (anthology)

The Unquiet Grave is an anthology of fantasy and horror stories edited by August Derleth. It was first published by Four Square Books in 1964. The anthology contains 15 stories from Derleth's earlier anthology, The Sleeping and the Dead. Many of the stories had originally appeared in the magazines Weird Tales, Esquire and Black Mask.

Contents

  • "The Shadows", by Henry S. Whitehead
  • "Carnaby’s Fish", by Carl Jacobi
  • "The Painted Mirror", by Donald Wandrei
  • "The Double Shadow", by Clark Ashton Smith
  • "One Way to Mars", by Robert Bloch
  • "Out of the Picture", by Arthur Machen
  • "The Canal", by Everil Worrell
  • "Deaf, Dumb, and Blind", by C. M. Eddy, Jr.
  • "Spider Bite", by Robert S. Carr
  • "Brenner’s Boy", by John Metcalfe
  • "Mr. Lupescu", by Anthony Boucher
  • "Seventh Sister", by Mary Elizabeth Counselman
  • "In Amundsen’s Tent", by John Martin Leahy
  • "Man in a Hurry", by Alan Nelson
  • "The Last Pin", by H. W. Guernsey
  • References

  • Contento, William G. "Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections". Retrieved 2008-01-10. 
  • The Unquiet Grave (book)

    The Unquiet Grave is a literary work by Cyril Connolly written in 1944 under the pseudonym Palinurus. It comprises a collection of aphorisms, quotes, nostalgic musings and mental explorations.

    Palinurus was the pilot of Aeneas's ship in the Aeneid who fell overboard as an act of atonement to the angry gods, and whose spirit wandered in the underworld. Connolly uses the theme to explore his feelings and review his situation as he approaches the age of forty presenting a very pessimistic and self-deprecating account. Into this he brings quotes from some of his favourite authors: Pascal, De Quincey, Chamfort and Flaubert as well as snatches from the Buddha, Chinese philosophy and Freud.

    The book's title is taken from an English folk song of the same name:

    The book is in four parts entitled Ecce Gubernator ("Here is the pilot"), Te Palinure Petens ("Looking for you, Palinurus") and La Clé des Chants ("The key of songs") and Who was Palinurus. The first two contain similar sets of musing, while the third contains more recollections with veiled references to Connolly's life in France. The last gives an account of Palinurus's history.

    Podcasts:

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    The Unquiet Grave

    by: Luke Kelly

    The wind doth blow
    today my love
    A few small drops of rain
    Never have I had
    but one true love
    In cold clay she is laid
    I'll do as much
    for my true love
    As any young man may
    I'll sit and mourn
    all on her grave
    At twelve months and a day
    The twelve months and the day being gone
    A voice spoke from the deep
    Who is it sits
    all on my grave
    And will not let me sleep
    'Tis I, 'tis I,
    Thine own true love
    Who sits upon your grave
    For I crave one kiss
    from your sweet lips
    And that is all I seek
    You crave one kiss
    from my clay cold lips
    But my breath is earthy strong
    Had you one kiss
    from my clay cold lips
    Your time would not be long
    My time be long,
    my time be short
    Tomorrow or today
    May God in heaven
    have all my soul
    But I'll kiss your lips of clay
    See down in yonder garden green
    Love where we used to walk
    The sweetest flower
    that ever grew
    Is withered to the stalk
    The stalk is withered dry my love
    So will our hearts decay
    So make yourself
    content my love




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