by Nahum Tate (1652 - 1715)
Young Thirsis' fate
Language: English
Young Thirsis' fate ye hills and groves deplore, Thirsis, the pride of all the plains, The joy of nymphs, and envy of the swains, The gentle Thirsis is no more. What makes the spring retire, And groves their songs decline? Nature for her lov'd Thirsis seems to pine, Whose artful strains and tuneful lyre Made the spring bloom and did the groves inspire; What can the drooping sons of art, From this sad hour impart, To charm the cares of life, And ease the lover's smart? While thus in dismal notes we mourn The skilful shepherd's urn; To the glad skies his harmony he bears, And as he charm'd the Earth, Transports the Spheres.
Authorship:
- by Nahum Tate (1652 - 1715), note: attribution may be incorrect.  [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 Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "Young Thirsis' fate", Z. 473, published 1688. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 114