by Thomas Blacklock, Dr. (1721 - 1791)
The Wedding‑Day
Language: English
One night as young Colin lay musing in bed With a heart full of love and a vapourish head, To wing the dull hours and his sorrows allay, Thus sweetly he sang of his wedding-day: "What would I give for a wedding-day! Who would not wish for a wedding-day Wealth and ambition I'd toss ye away, With all ye can boast, for a wedding-day. "Should Heaven bid my wishes with freedom implore One bliss for the anguish I suffered before, For Jessie, dear Jessie, alone would I pray, And grasp my whole wish on my wedding-day! Blessed be the approach of my wedding-day! Hail, my dear nymph and my wedding-day! Earth smile more verdant and heaven shine more gay! For happiness dawns with my wedding-day." But Luna, who equally sovereign presides O'er the hearts of the ladies and flow of the tides, Unhappily changing, soon changed his wife's mind: 0 fate, could a wife prove so constant and kind! "Why was I born to a wedding-day? Cursed, ever cursed, be my wedding-day." Colin, poor Colin, thus changes his lay, And dates all his plagues from his wedding-day. Ye bachelors, warned by the shepherd's distress, Be taught from your freedom to measure your bliss, Nor fall to the witchcraft of beauty a prey, And blast all your joys on your wedding-day. Horns are the gift of a wedding-day; Want and a scold crown a wedding-day; Happy and gallant who, wise when he may, Prefers a stout rope to a wedding-day!
Authorship:
- by Thomas Blacklock, Dr. (1721 - 1791), "The Wedding-Day", from The Scots Musical Museum, compiled by James Johnson, first published 1787-1803 [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , from The Scots Musical Museum, compiled by James Johnson, first published 1787-1803 [an adaptation] ; composed by Max Bruch.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-09
Line count: 32
Word count: 249