by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674)
Translation by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862 - 1949)
Bid me to live, and I will live
Language: English
Bid me to live, and I will live Thy Protestant to be: Or bid me love, and I will give A loving heart to thee. A heart as soft, a heart as kind, A heart as sound and free, As in the whole world thou canst find, That heart I'll give to thee. Bid that heart stay, and it will stay, To honour thy Decree: Or bid it languish quite away, And 't shall doe so for thee. Bid me to weep, and I will weep, While I have eyes to see: And having none, yet I will keep A heart to weep for thee. Bid me despair, and I'll despair, Under that cypress-tree: Or bid me die, and I will dare E'en Death, to die for thee. Thou art my life, my love, my heart, The very eyes of me: And has command of ev'ry part, To live and die for thee.
J. Carpenter sets stanzas 1-2, 5
C. Harris sets stanzas 1-2, 4, 3, 6
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674) [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 David Arditti (b. 1964), "To Anthea, who may command him anything", op. 9 no. 3, from Gather Ye Rosebuds, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "Bid me to live", 1912, stanzas 1-2,5, from Eight Songs, no. 4, also set in French (Français) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Linton Gardner (1917 - 2011), "To Anthea, who may command him anything", op. 49 no. 10, published 1961 [ tenor, chorus, and orchestra ], from cantata Herrick Cantata, no. 10, Boston : E. C. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christopher H. Harris , "For Thee...", stanzas 1-2,4,3,6 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Liptrot Hatton (1809 - 1886), "To Anthea, who may command him anything" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mervyn, Lord Horder, the Second Baron of Ashford (1910 - 1998), "Bid me to live", alternate title: "To Anthea" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022), "To Anthea, who may command him anything", published 1952, from Flight For Heaven, no. 10 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862 - 1949) ; composed by John Alden Carpenter.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 153
Dis‑moi d'aimer
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Dis-moi de vivre, et je vivrai Pour n'adorer que toi, Dis-moi d'aimer, et je vous donne Un coeur qui n'est qu'amour; Un coeur si pur, un coeur si sûr. Un coeur si plein de toi, Qu'il n'en est pas un seul au monde, Qui t'aime autant que moi. Dis-moi d'attendre, et j'attendrai En bénissant ta loi, Ou si tu veux que je me meure, Je vais mourir pour toi.
J. Carpenter sets stanzas 1-2, 5
Authorship:
- by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862 - 1949) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "Dis-moi d'aimer", 1912, stanzas 1-2,5, from Eight Songs, no. 4, also set in English [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Geoffrey Wieting
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 69