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Three songs from old English popular songs

Song Cycle by Roger Quilter (1877 - 1953)

1. Drink to me only with thine eyes
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss within the cup,
And I'll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove's nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.

I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honouring thee,
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe
And send'st it back to me:
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear
Not of itself, but thee.

Text Authorship:

  • by Ben Jonson (1572 - 1637), "Song to Celia"

Based on:

  • a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) by Lucius Flavius Philostratus (c170 - c248), quotes from love letters 24, 30 and 31 [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Lied an Celia", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Note: parodied in Archibald Stodart-Walker's Blink to me only with thine eyes.

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

2. Barbara Allen
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
In Scarlet Town, where I was born,
There was a fair maid dwellin',
Made ev'ry youth cry "Well-a-day!"
Her name was Barb'ra Allen.

All in the merry month of May
When green buds they were swellin',
Young Jemmy Grove on his death-bed lay
For love of Barb'ra Allen.

Then slowly, slowly she came up,
And slowly she came nigh him,
And all she said when there she came
"Young man, I think you're dying".

As she was walking o'er the fields
She heard the dead-bell knellin',
And ev'ry stroke the dead-bell gave
Cried "Woe to Barb'ra Allen!"

When he was dead and laid in grave
Her heart was struck with sorrow.
"O mother, mother, make my bed,
For I shall die tomorrow."

"Farewell," she said, "ye virgins all,
And shun the fault I fell in;
Henceforth take warning by the fall
Of cruel Barb'ra Allen."

Text Authorship:

  • from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

Go to the general single-text view

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

3. Over the mountains
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Over the mountains,
And over the waves,
Under the fountains
And under the graves.
Under floods that are deepest
Which Neptune obey,
Over rocks that are steepest,
Love will find out the way.

Where there is no place
For the glow-worm to lie,
Where there is no space
For receipt of a fly;
Where the midge dare not venture
Lest herself fast she lay,
If love come, he will enter
And will find out the way.

 ... 

Some think to loose him
Or have him confined;
 ...  some do suppose him,
Poor thing, to be blind;
But if ne'er so close ye wall him,
Do the best that ye may,
Blind love, if so ye call him,
Soon will find out his way.

You may train the eagle
To stoop to your fist;
Or you may inveigle
The phoenix of the East,
The lioness, you may move her
to get o'er her prey;
But you'll ne'er stop a lover:
love shall find out the way.

Text Authorship:

  • from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Love will find out the way", appears in Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, collected by Thomas Percy

See other settings of this text.

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
Total word count: 409
Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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