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The Dryad Lyrics by W. Wilfred Campbell

Beyond the Hills of Dream

1899

Her soul was sown with the seed of the tree
Of old when the earth was young,
And glad with the light of its majesty
The light of her beautiful being upgrew.
And the winds that swept over land and sea,
And like a harper the great boughs strung,
Whispered her all things new.
The tree reached forth to the sun and the wind
And towered to heaven above.
But she was the soul that under its rind
Whispered its joy through the whole wood’s span,
Sweet and glad and tender and kind;
For her love for the tree was a holier love
Than the love of woman for man.
The seasons came and the seasons went
And the woodland music rang;
And under her wide umbrageous tent,
Hidden forever from mortal eye,
She sang earth’s beauty and wonderment.
But men never knew the spirit that sang
This music too wondrous to die.
Only nature, forever young,
And her children, forever true,
Knew the beauty of her who sung
And her tender, glad love for the tree;
Till on her music the wild hawk hung
From his eyrie high in the blue
To drink her melody free.
And the creatures of earth would creep from their haunts
To stare with their wilding eyes,
To hearken those rhythms of earth’s romance,
That never the ear of mortal hath heard;
Till the elfin squirrels would caper and dance,
And the hedgehog’s sleepy and shy surprise
Would grow to the thought of a bird.
And the pale wood-flowers from their cradles of dew
Where they rocked them the whole night long,
While the dark wheeled round and the stars looked through
Into the great wood’s slumbrous breast,
Till the gray of the night like a mist outblew;
Hearkened the piercing joy of her song
That sank like a star in their rest.
But all things come to an end at last
When the wings of being are furled.
And there blew one night a maddening blast
From those wastes where ships dismantle and drown,
That ravaged the forest and thundered past;
And in the wreck of that ruined world
The dryad’s tree went down.
When the pale stars dimmed their tapers of gold,
And over the night’s round rim
The day rose sullen and ragged and cold,
Over that wind-swept, desolate wild,
Where the huge trunks lay like giants of old,
Prone, slain on some battlefield, silent and grim;
The wood-creatures, curious, mild,
Searching their solitudes, found her there
Like a snowdrift out in the morn;
One lily arm round the beech-trunk bare,
One curved, cold, under her elfin head,
With the beechen shine in her nut-brown hair,
And the pallor of dawn on her face, love-lorn,
Beautiful, passionless, dead.
Credits
W. Wilfred Campbell

W. Wilfred Campbell

About “The Dryad” by W. Wilfred Campbell

Read the complete lyrics to "The Dryad" by W. Wilfred Campbell from the album "Beyond the Hills of Dream" in 1899. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"The Dryad" is performed by W. Wilfred Campbell. from the album "Beyond the Hills of Dream" in 1899 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Dryad", explore more songs by W. Wilfred Campbell using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Dryad" is credited to W. Wilfred Campbell. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"The Dryad" appears on "Beyond the Hills of Dream" in 1899.

Visit the W. Wilfred Campbell artist page at /artist/w-wilfred-campbell for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.