by Thomas Stanley (1625 - 1678)

The Return
Language: English 
Beauty whose soft magnetic chains
Nor time not absence can untie,
Thy power the narrow [bound]1 disdains 
Of Nature or Philosophy;
[Thou]2 canst by unconfined laws
A motion, though at distance; cause. 

Drawn by the powerful Influence
Of thy bright eyes, I back return;
And since I nowhere can dispense
With flames [that]3 do in absence burn,
I rather choose 'twixt them t'expire,
Then languish in a hidden fire.

But if thou th’ insulting pride
Of vulgar beauties dost despise,
Who by vain triumphs deified
Their votaries do sacrifice,
Then let those flames, whose magic charm
At distance scorch'd, approach'd, but warm.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   J. Gamble 

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Gamble: "bounds"
2 Gamble: "That"
3 Gamble: "which"

Confirmed with Thomas Stanley: his original lyrics, complete, in their collated readings of 1647, 1651, 1657 by Thomas Stanley, edited by Louise Imogen Guiney, J R Tutin, Hull 1907. Page 38.


Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by John Gamble (d. 1687), "The Return", published 1657 [ voice and bass continuo ], from Ayres and dialogues, no. 1, Confirmed with Ayres and dialogues (to be sung to the theorbo-lute or bass-viol) by John Gamble. Printed by W. Godbid for Humphry Mosley at the Princes-Arms In St. Paul's Church-yard, London 1657.
        Score: IMSLP [external link]  [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-11-29
Line count: 18
Word count: 105