Now is my Chloris fresh as May,
Clad all in green and flowers gay.
        Fa la la!
O might I think August were near
That harvest joy might soon appear.
        Fa la la!
But she keeps May throughout the year,
And August never comes the near.
        Fa la la!
Yet will I hope, though she be May,
August will come another day.
        Fa la la!

Lyrics from the Song-Books of the Elizabethan Age, ed. by A. H. Bullen, London, John C. Nimmo, 1887, page 86.

Text 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 Thomas Weelkes (1576 - 1623), "Now is my Chloris fresh as May", published 1598 [vocal quintet], from the collection Ballets and Madrigals to five voices, madrigal [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2014-02-25
Line count: 12
Word count: 65