Chamber Music

He who hath glory lost, nor hath 
  Found any soul to fellow his, 
Among his foes in scorn and wrath 
  Holding to ancient nobleness, 
That high unconsortable one - 
His love is his companion.

Strings in the earth and air 
  Make music sweet; 
Strings by the river where 
  The willows meet. 

There's music along the river 
  [For Love wanders there,]1
Pale [flowers]2 on his mantle, 
  Dark leaves on his hair. 

All softly playing, 
  With head to [the]3 music bent, 
And fingers straying 
  Upon an instrument.

At that hour when all things have repose,
    O lonely watcher of the skies, 
    Do you hear the night wind and the sighs 
Of harps playing unto Love to unclose
    The pale gates of sunrise?

When all things repose, do you alone
    Awake to hear the sweet harps play 
    To Love before him on his way, 
And the night wind answering in antiphon
    Till night is overgone?

Play on, invisible harps, unto Love,
    Whose way in heaven is aglow 
    At that hour when soft lights come and go, 
Soft sweet music in the air above
    And in the earth below.

 When the shy star goes forth in heaven 
   All maidenly, disconsolate, 
 Hear you amid the drowsy even 
   One who is singing by your gate. 
 His song is softer than the dew 
   And he is come to visit you. 

 O bend no more in revery 
   When he at eventide is calling, 
 Nor muse: Who may this singer be 
   Whose song about my heart is falling 
 Know you by this, the lover's chant, 
   'Tis I that am your visitant.

Lean out of the window,
  Goldenhair,
I heard you singing
  A merry air.

My book is closed;
  I read no more,
Watching the fire dance
  On the floor.

I have left my book,
  I have left my room,
For I heard you singing
  Through the gloom,

Singing and singing
  A merry air.
Lean out of the window,
  Goldenhair.

Winds of May, that dance on the sea, 
Dancing a ring-around in glee 
From furrow to furrow, while overhead 
The foam flies up to be garlanded, 
In silvery arches spanning the air, 
Saw you my true love anywhere? 
		 Welladay! Welladay! 
		 For the winds of May! 
  Love is unhappy when love is away!

O Sweetheart, hear you 
  Your lover's tale; 
A man shall have sorrow 
  When friends him fail. 

For he shall know then 
	Friends be untrue 
And a little ashes 
  Their words come to. 

But one unto him 
  Will softly move 
And softly woo him 
  In ways of love. 

His hand is under 
  Her smooth round breast; 
So he who has sorrow 
  Shall have rest.

Go seek her out all courteously,
    And say I come, 
Wind of spices whose song is ever
    Epithalamium. 
O, hurry over the dark lands
    And run upon the sea 
For seas and lands shall not divide us
    My love and me.

Now, wind, of your good courtesy
    I pray you go, 
And come into her little garden
    And sing at her window; 
Singing: The bridal wind is blowing
    For Love is at his noon; 
And soon will your true love be with you,
    Soon, O soon.

Bid adieu, adieu, adieu, 
  Bid adieu to girlish days, 
Happy love is come to woo 
  Thee and woo thy girlish ways - 
The zone that doth become thee fair, 
The snood upon thy yellow hair. 

When thou hast heard his name upon 
  The bugles of the cherubim 
Begin thou softly to unzone 
  Thy girlish bosom unto him 
And softly to undo the snood 
That is the sign of maidenhood.

My dove, my beautiful one, 
  Arise, arise! 
  The night-dew lies 
Upon my lips and eyes. 

The odorous winds are weaving 
  A music of sighs: 
  Arise, arise, 
My dove, my beautiful one! 

I wait by the cedar tree, 
  My sister, my love. 
  White breast of the dove, 
My breast shall be your bed. 

The pale dew lies 
  Like a veil on my head. 
  My fair one, my fair dove, 
Arise, arise!1

Be not sad because all men
    Prefer a lying clamour before you: 
Sweetheart, be at peace again -- -
    Can they dishonour you?

They are sadder than all tears;
    Their lives ascend as a continual sigh. 
Proudly answer to their tears:
    As they deny, deny.

This heart that flutters near my heart 
  My hope and all my riches is, 
Unhappy when we draw apart 
  And happy between kiss and kiss; 
My hope and all my riches - yes! - 
And all my happiness. 

For there, as in some mossy nest 
  The wrens will divers treasures keep, 
I laid those treasures I possessed 
  Ere that mine eyes had learned to weep. 
Shall we not be as wise as they 
Though love live but a day?

O cool is the valley now 
  And there, love, will we go 
For many a choir is singing now 
  Where Love did sometime go. 

And hear you not the thrushes calling, 
  Calling us away? 
O cool and pleasant is the valley 
  And there, love, will we stay.

Gentle lady, do not sing 
  Sad songs about the end of love; 
Lay aside sadness and sing 
  How love that passes is enough. 

Sing about the long deep sleep 
  Of lovers that are dead, and how 
In the grave all love shall sleep: 
  Love is aweary now.

Rain has fallen all the day.
O come among the laden trees:
The leaves lie thick upon the way
Of [mem'ries.]1

Staying a little by the way
Of [mem'ries]1 shall we depart.
Come, my beloved, where I may
Speak to your heart.

Love came to us in time gone by
    When one at twilight shyly played 
And one in fear was standing nigh -- -
    For Love at first is all afraid.

We were grave lovers. Love is past
    That had his sweet hours many a one; 
Welcome to us now at the last
    The ways that we shall go upon.

Now, O now, in this brown land
    Where Love did so sweet music make 
We two shall wander, hand in hand,
    Forbearing for old friendship' sake, 
Nor grieve because our love was gay
Which now is ended in this way.

A rogue in red and yellow dress
    Is knocking, knocking at the tree; 
And all around our loneliness
    The wind is whistling merrily. 
The leaves -- - they do not sigh at all
When the year takes them in the fall.

Now, O now, we hear no more
    The vilanelle and roundelay! 
Yet will we kiss, sweetheart, before
    We take sad leave at close of day. 
Grieve not, sweetheart, for anything -- -
The year, the year is gathering.

Sleep now, O sleep now,
  O you unquiet heart!
A voice crying "Sleep now"
  Is heard in my heart.

The voice of the winter
  Is heard at the door.
O sleep, for the winter
  Is crying "Sleep no more."

My kiss will give peace now
  And quiet to your heart -
Sleep on in peace now,
  O you unquiet heart!