What thing is love? I prithee tell.
It is a prick, it is a sting,
It is a pretty, pretty thing;
It is a fire, it is a coal,
Whose flame creeps in at every hole;
And as my wit can best devise,
Love's dwelling lies in ladies' eyes.

About the headline (FAQ)

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From The Hunting of Cupid, a masque surviving in only in small fragments.

Text Authorship:

• by George Peele (1556? - 1596) [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 John Bartlet (flourished 1606-1610), "What thing is love I pray thee tell", published 1606 [ vocal quartet for soprano, alto, tenor, bass with lute ], from A booke of Ayres with a Triplicitie of Musicke, no. 14, Confirmed with A booke of Ayres with a Triplicitie of Musicke by John Bartlet, Printed by John Windet, for John Browne and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstan's Churchyard in Fleet Street, London 1606. [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Geoffrey Bush (1920 - 1998), "What thing is Love?", 1944 [ baritone and piano ], from Five Spring Songs, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]

Research team for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-09-18
Line count: 7
Word count: 50