by Thomas Lodge (1558 - 1625)
Carpe diem
Language: English
Pluck the fruit and taste the pleasure, youthful lordings, of delight; whilst occasion gives you seizure, feed your fancies and your sight; after death, when you are gone, joy and pleasure is there none. Here on earth nothing is stable, Fortune's changes well are known; whilst as youth doth then enable, let your seeds of joy be sown: after death, when you are gone, joy and pleasure is there none. Feast it freely with your lovers, blithe and wanton sweets do fade; whilst that lovely Cupid hovers round about this lovely shade, sport it freely one to one: after death is pleasure none. Now the pleasant spring allureth, and both place and time invites, but, alas! what heart endureth to disclaim his sweet delights? After death, when we are gone, joy and pleasure is there none.
Authorship:
- by Thomas Lodge (1558 - 1625), "Carpe diem", written 1591 [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 Hans Gál (1890 - 1987), "Carpe diem", first performed 1967 [SATB chorus a cappella], from Six Part-Songs [formerly: Four Part-Songs], no. 5. [ sung text verified 1 time]
Research team for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Eva Fox-Gal
This text was added to the website: 2018-05-21
Line count: 24
Word count: 136