by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Farewell, dear love, since thou wilt needs be gone
Language: English
Farewell, dear love, since thou wilt needs be gone Mine eyes do show my life is almost gone Nay, I will never die so long as I can spy. There be many mo'tho' that she do go There be many mo' I fear not Why then let her go, I care not. Farewell, farewell, since this I find is true I will not spend more time in wooing you. But I will seek elsewhere If I may find love there Shall I bid her go? What and if I do? Shall I bid her go and spare not? Oh no no no, I dare not. Ten thousand times farewell; yet stay awhile Sweet, kiss me once; sweet kisses time beguile. I have no pow'r to move. How now am I in love? Wilt thou needs begone? Go then, all is one Wilt thou needs begone? Oh hie thee! Nay, stay, and do no more deny me. Once more adieu, I see loath to depart Bids oft adieu to her that holds my heart. But seeing I must lose thy love, which I did choose, Go thy way for me since that may not be. Go, thy ways for me. But whither? Go, of but where I may come thither. What shall I do? My love is now departed She is as fair as she is cruel-hearted. But seeing I must lose thy love with prayers oft repeated If she come no more, shall I die therefore? If she come no more, what care I? Faith, let her go, or come, or tarry!
Note: quoted in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Robert Jones (fl. 1597-1615), "Farewell, dear love, since thou wilt needs be gone", published 1601 [voice and lute], from the collection First Book of Airs, no. 12. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-02-23
Line count: 30
Word count: 262