Once a dream did weave a shade
O’er my angel-guarded bed,
That an emmet lost its way
Where on grass methought I lay.

Troubled, 'wildered, and forlorn,
Dark, benighted, travel-worn,
Over many a tangled spray,
All heart-broke, I heard her say:

‘Oh my children! do they cry,
Do they hear their father sigh?
look abroad to see,
Now return and weep for me.’

Pitying, I dropped a tear:
But I saw a glow-worm near,
Who replied, ‘What wailing wight
Calls the watchman of the night?

‘I am set to light the ground,
While the beetle goes his round:
Follow now the beetle’s hum;
Little wanderer, hie thee home!’


A Dream (William Blake)

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

Fall, Leaves, Fall (Emily Brontë)

The Little Boy Lost (William Blake)

Gentle Lady (James Joyce)

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

The Night Wind (Emily Brontë)

All songs written and arranged by Fred Thomas

Ellie Rose Rusbridge – voice and backing vocals
Dave Shulman – clarinet and bass clarinet
Liam Byrne – treble and bass viola da gamba
Malte Hager – electric bass (on 'The NIght Wind')
Fred Thomas – guitars, percussion, double-bass, organ, cello, 
piano & prepared piano, backing vocals, voice on CD1 tracks 11 & 12.



All the poems on this CD can be found at www.fred-thomas.co.uk/poems


“The Beguilers create a mellifluous, graceful sound that entirely justifies their band name. Rose has a touching, pure, sweet voice, well suited to the affecting melodies Thomas writes, and Shulman provides just the right amount of textural and tonal variety.The Beguilers plough a singularly rich furrow and clearly entranced an attentive Vortex audience.” – Chris Parker (London Jazz)

“The Beguilers took William Blake’s poetry and wove a rich tapestry of intricate acoustic guitar and clarinet, over which Ellie Rose’s exquisite vocals were allowed to shine. Blake’s work was given new life with this simple but textured approach, which made these classic works come to life” - The Liminal

“The Beguilers start with songs based on some of the greatest poetry in the English language, but it’s the combination of Ellie Rose’s haunting voice with Fred Thomas’s beautiful compositions that give this band its unique and unclassifiable quality – a treat equally for lovers of poetry, jazz, classical music and folksong” - Peter Slavid (UK Jazz Radio)

“The Beguilers’ version of Blake’s ‘London’ is the finest setting of the poem that I know – the human ear adorned with manacles more beautiful than any earring” - Tim Heath, Chair of the Blake Society


TheBeguilers

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