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by George Herbert (1593 - 1633)

Vertue
 (Sung text for setting by M. Emery)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
Our translations:  FRE
Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,
The bridall of the earth and skie:
The dew shall weep thy fall to night;
                                    For thou must die.

Sweet rose, whose hue angrie and brave
Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye:
Thy root is ever in its grave
                                    And thou must die.

Sweet spring, full of sweet dayes and roses,
A box where sweets compacted lie;
My musick shows ye have your closes,
                                    And all must die.

Onely a sweet and vertuous soul,
Like season'd timber, never gives;
But though the whole world turn to coal,
                                    Then chiefly lives.

Composition:

    Set to music by Matthew Emery (b. 1991), "Vertue" [ voice and piano ]

Text Authorship:

  • by George Herbert (1593 - 1633), "Vertue", appears in The Temple, first published 1633

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Vertu", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Die Seele", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 99

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