by Thomas Dekker (c1572 - 1632)
Cyclops' Song
Language: English
Brave iron, brave hammer, from your sound The art of music has her ground; On the anvil thou keep'st time, Thy knick-a-knock is a smith's best chime. Yet thwick-a-thwack, thwick, thwack-a-thwack, thwack, Make our brawny sinews crack: Then pit-a-pat, pat, pit-a-pat, pat, Till thickest bars be beaten flat. We shoe the horses of the sun, Harness the dragons of the moon; Forge Cupid's quiver, bow, and arrows, And our dame's coach that's drawn with sparrows. Till thwick-a-thwack, etc. Jove's roaring cannons and his rammers We beat out with our Lemnian hammers; Mars his gauntlet, helm and spear, And Gorgon shield are all made here. Till thwick-a-thwack, etc. The grate which, shut, the day outbars, Those golden studs which nail the stars, The globe's case and the axle-tree, Who can hammer these but we? Till thwick-a-thwack, etc. A warming-pan to heat earth's bed, Lying i' th' frozen zone half-dead; Hob-nails to serve the man i' th' moon, And sparrowbills to clout Pan's shoon, Whose work but ours? Till thwick-a-thwack, etc. Venus' kettles, pots and pans We make, or else she brawls and bans; Tongs, shovels, andirons have their places, Else she scratches all our faces.
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Dekker (c1572 - 1632), "Cyclops' Song" [author's text checked 1 time 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 Charles Wood (1866 - 1926), "Cyclops' Song", published 1927 [ low voice and piano ], from Ten Songs for Low Voice, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-02-15
Line count: 33
Word count: 194