by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Come shepherd swains
Language: English
Come, shepherd swains, that wont to hear me sing, Now sigh and groan! Dead is my Love, my Hope, my Joy, my Spring; Dead, dead, and gone! O, She that was your Summer’s Queen, Your days’ delight,[Pg 17] Is gone and will no more be seen; O, cruel spite! Break all your pipes that wont to sound With pleasant cheer, And cast yourselves upon the ground To wail my Dear! Come, shepherd swains, come, nymphs, and all a-row To help me cry: Dead is my Love, and, seeing She is so, Lo, now I die!
Lyrics from the Song-Books of the Elizabethan Age, ed. by A. H. Bullen, London, John C. Nimmo, 1887, pages 16-17.
Researcher for this page: Bart O'Brien
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 John Wilbye (1574 - 1638), "Come shepherd swains", published 1609 [ vocal trio], from the collection Second Set of Madrigals, madrigal [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Bart O'Brien
This text was added to the website: 2004-12-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 95