Now is the month of maying,
When merry lads are playing, fa la,
Each with his bonny lass
Upon the greeny grass. Fa la.
The Spring, clad all in gladness,
Doth laugh at Winter's sadness, fa la,
And to the bagpipe's sound
The nymphs tread out their ground. Fa la
Fie then! why sit we musing,
Youth's sweet delight refusing? Fa la.
Say dainty nymphs, and speak,
Shall we play barley-break? Fa la.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Based on:
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 (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "In praise of May", 1909 [ duet for soprano and alto with piano ], from Eight songs for upper voices and piano, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Thomas Morley (1557 - 1602), "Now is the month of Maying ", published 1595 [ vocal quintet ], from First Book of Ballets to Five Voices [sung text checked 1 time]
- by George Templeton Strong (1856 - 1948), "Now is the month of Maying", op. 40 (Two Part Songs for Female Chorus) no. 2 (1891), copyright © 1919 [ women's chorus and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Lidy van Noordenburg) , "Lofzang op Mei", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Javier Conte-Grand) , "Ya llegó el mes de celebraciones", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Lidy van Noordenburg
This text was added to the website: 2008-10-20
Line count: 12
Word count: 73
't is nu de maand van 't Meifeest
Als vrolijke jongens dollen,
Elk met zijn mooie meisje
Op het groene gras
De lente kleedt alles in vreugde
Laat lachen om winterse droefheid
En op 't geluid van de doedelzak
Maken de elfen een pad op de grond
Foei toch! Waarom zitten we te peinzen,
Het zoete genot van de jeugd te weigeren
Zeg, sierlijke nimfen en spreek
Spelen we Barley-break?
