Fair goes the dancing when the sitar's tuned; Tune us the sitar neither low nor high, And we will dance away the hearts of men. The string overstretched breaks, and the music flies The string o'erslack is dumb, and music dies; Tune us the sitar neither low nor high.
Album of Five Songs
Song Cycle by Joseph Taffs
1. Fair goes the dancing  [sung text not yet checked]
Authorship:
- by Edwin Arnold (1832 - 1904)
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]2. To daisies  [sung text not yet checked]
Shut not so soon; the dull-eyed night Has not as yet begun To make a seizure on the light, Or to seal up the sun. No marigolds yet closed are; No shadows great appear; Nor doth the early shepherds' star Shine like a spangle here. Stay but till my Julia close Her life-begetting eye, And let the whole world then dispose Itself to live or die.
Authorship:
- by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674), "To daisies, not to shut so soon"
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]3. To violets  [sung text not yet checked]
Welcome, maids-of-honour! You do bring In the spring, And wait upon her. She has virgins many, Fresh and fair; Yet you are More sweet than any. You're the maiden posies, And so grac'd To be plac'd 'Fore damask roses. Yet, though thus respected, By-and-by Ye do lie, Poor girls, neglected.
Authorship:
- by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674), "To violets"
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
4. Ask me no more  [sung text not yet checked]
Ask me no more: the moon may draw the sea; The cloud may stoop from heaven and take the shape, With fold to fold, of mountain or of cape; But O too fond, when have I answer'd thee? Ask me no more. Ask me no more: what answer should I give? I love not hollow cheek or faded eye: Yet, O my friend, I will not have thee die! Ask me no more, lest I should bid thee live; Ask me no more. Ask me no more: thy fate and mine are seal'd: I strove against the stream and all in vain; Let the great river take me to the main. No more, dear love, for at a touch I yield; Ask me no more.
Authorship:
- by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), no title, appears in The Princess, first published 1850
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Researcher for this page: Carl Johengen5. Ah! those eyes
Ah! those eyes . . . . . . . . . .— The rest of this text is not
currently in the database but will be
added as soon as we obtain it. —
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 77
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