by
Cecil Day Lewis (1904 - 1972)
Come, live with me and be my love
Language: English  after the English
Available translation(s): GER
Come, live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
Of peace and plenty, bed and board,
That chance employment may afford.
I'll handle dainties on the docks
And thou shalt read of summer frocks:
At evening by the sour canals
We'll hope to hear some madrigals.
Care on thy maiden brow shall put
A wreath of wrinkles, and thy foot
Be shod with pain: not silken dress
But toil shall tire thy loveliness.
Hunger shall make thy modest zone
And cheat fond death of all but bone -
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my love.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in English by Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593), "The passionate shepherd to his love", written 1580-1592?
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , "Komm, leb' mit mir und werde mein", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Walter A. Aue
This text was added to the website: 2010-03-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 109
Komm, leb' mit mir und werde mein
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Komm, leb' mit mir und werde mein
und alle Freud' wird unser sein,
die Tisch und Bett, und Friedenstag
Kurzangestellten bieten mag.
Ich biete Süßes an am Dock
und Du träumst von dem Sommerrock;
des Nachts am stinkenden Kanal
hör'n wir vielleicht ein Madrigal.
Der Kummer, auf die Stirne Dein,
flicht Faltenkränze, und die Pein
schlägt Dir den Fuß. Kein Seidenkleid,
nur Müh' drückt Deine Lieblichkeit.
Den Busen nimmt Dir Hungersnot
und läßt nur Rippen für den Tod:
Soll'n solche Freuden Deine sein,
dann leb' mit mir und werde mein!
Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in English by Cecil Day Lewis (1904 - 1972), "Come, live with me and be my love", a parody [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in English by Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593), "The passionate shepherd to his love", written 1580-1592?
This text was added to the website: 2010-03-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 90