by Thomas Chatterton (1753 - 1770)
O! sing unto my roundelay
Language: English
O! sing unto my roundelay, O! drop the briny tear with me; Dance no more at holy-day, Like a running river be: My love is dead, Gone to his death-bed, All under the willow-tree. Black his cryne as the winter night, White his rode as the summer snow, Red his face as the morning light, Cold he lies in the grave below: My love is dead, Gone to his death-bed, All under the willow-tree. Sweet his tongue as the throstle's note, Quick in dance as thought can be, Deft his tabour, cudgel stout; O! he lies by the willow-tree: My love is dead, Gone to his death-bed, All under the willow-tree. Hark! the raven flaps his wing, In the briared dell below; Hark! the death-owl loud doth sing To the night-mares as they go: My love is dead, Gone to his death-bed, All under the willow-tree. See! the white moon shines on high; Whiter is my true love's shroud, Whiter than the morning sky, Whiter than the evening cloud: My love is dead, Gone to his death-bed, All under the willow-tree. Here upon my true love's grave, Shall the barren flowers be laid, Not one holy saint to save All the celness of a maid: My love is dead, Gone to his death-bed, All under the willow-tree. With my hands I'll dent the briars Round his holy corse to gree; Ouphant fairy, light your fires-- Here my body still shall be: My love is dead, Gone to his death-bed, All under the willow-tree. Come, with acorn-cup and thorn, Drain my heartë's-blood away; Life and all its goods I scorn, Dance by night, or feast by day: My love is dead, Gone to his death-bed, All under the willow-tree. Water-witches, crowned with reytes, Bear me to your lethal tide. 'I die! I come! my true love waits!' Thus the damsel spake, and died.
S. Wesley sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesGlossary:
'Cryne:' hair.
'Rode:' complexion.
'Dent:' fix.
'Gree:' grow.
'Ouphant:' elfish.
'Reytes:' water-flags.
Authorship:
- by Thomas Chatterton (1753 - 1770), "Minstrel's Song" [author's text checked 1 time 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 Seymour Barab (1921 - 2014), "Minstrel's Song", from Four Songs, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Linton Gardner (1917 - 2011), "O sing unto my roundelay", op. 5 (1950) [ SSAATTBB chorus, optional piano accompaniment ], London : Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by Samuel Wesley (1766 - 1837), "O sing unto my roundelay", 1811, stanza 1 [ chorus ], partsong [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Virginia Knight
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 60
Word count: 312