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by Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593)

Come live with me and be my Love
NOTE: the footnotes have been removed from this text; return to general view
Language: English 
Our translations:  GER
Come live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield.

There will we sit upon the rocks
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.

There will I make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle.

A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull,
Fair linèd slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold.

A belt of straw and ivy buds
With coral clasps and amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me and be my Love.

Thy silver dishes for thy meat
As precious as the gods do eat,
Shall on an ivory table be
Prepared each day for thee and me.

The shepherd swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my Love.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   W. Bennett •   H. Bishop •   J. von Dalberg •   R. Goldmark •   W. Mayer 

W. Bennett sets stanzas 1-3, 7
H. Bishop sets stanzas 1-2, 7
W. Mayer sets stanzas 1-2, 7
J. von Dalberg sets stanzas 1, 2, 7

About the headline (FAQ)

View text with all available footnotes

Confirmed with The Golden Treasury, Francis T. Palgrave, ed., 1875.

See Raleigh's famous response, The nymph's reply to the shepherd.

See also the parody by Archibald Stodart-Walker.


Text Authorship:

  • by Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593), "The passionate shepherd to his love", written 1580-1592? [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Go to the general view


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 199

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