I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls

I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls or "The Gipsy Girl's Dream" is a popular aria from The Bohemian Girl, an 1843 opera by Michael William Balfe, with lyrics by Alfred Bunn. It is sung in the opera by the character Arline, who is in love with Thaddeus, a Polish nobleman and political exile.^[1] It has been performed and recorded by many artists including Enya.^[2] It is said to bring bad luck if whistled or sung in a theatre.^[3]

The song has been satirised repeatedly. Lewis Carroll's parody was published in Lays of Mystery, Imagination and Humour in 1855:^[4]

“

I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls, And each damp thing that creeps and crawls went wobble-wobble on the walls...

”

Very popular in the 19th century, the piece also has many modern incarnations. The song makes a brief appearance in the 1946 film, Dragonwyck. The first line of the song is sung and "scatted," in the number, "Swing," from the 1953 Broadway show, "Wonderful Town." The first line is also sung, (off-screen), by aspiring botanist, Seymour, in the 1960 cult classic film, "The Little Shop of Horrors." More recently, an ambient, ethereal version was recorded by Enya for her Grammy-winning 1991 album, Shepherd Moons; her version also appeared on the soundtrack of the Martin Scorsese film The Age of Innocence.^[5] Celtic Woman also recorded the piece. . A version by Sinéad O'Connor was on the soundtrack of the 1997 Irish film The Butcher Boy.^[6] The song was also quoted by James Joyce in his story Clay from the book Dubliners.

Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber has recorded the song on two occasions - with singer Aled Jones on Jones' album Higher; and with harpist Catrin Finch on Lloyd Webber's 2006 album Unexpected Songs.

In 2006 the Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø recorded a version for her album Into Paradise.

Lyrics

I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls
With vassals and serfs at my side.
And of all who assembled within those walls
That I was the hope and the pride.

I had riches too great to count, could boast
Of a high ancestral name.
But I also dreamt, which pleased me most
That you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, You loved me still the same.

I dreamt that suitors sought my hand.
That knights upon bended knee,
And with vows no maiden's heart could withstand,
They pledg'd their faith to me.

And I dreamt that one of that noble host
Came forth my hand to claim.
But I also dreamt, which charmed me most
That you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you loved me still the same.

External links

• Full lyrics and background notes
• 1909 recording by Elizabeth Wheeler

References

1. ^ Music in the Works of James Joyce
2. ^ James Michael Welsh, Peter Lev (2007), The literature/film reader: issues of adaptation‎, p. 13 
3. ^ Iona Archibald Opie, Moira Tatem (1989), A Dictionary of superstitions‎, p. 397 
4. ^ Knight letter ‎, Lewis Carroll Society of North America, 1994, p. 21 
5. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106226/soundtrack
6. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118804/soundtrack