by Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593)
The passionate shepherd to his love See original
Language: English
Our translations: GER
Come live with me and be my Love, And we will all the pleasures prove That hill and valley, dale and field, And all the craggy mountains yield. There we shall sit upon the rocks And watch 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, And buckles of the purest gold. A bed 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.
See Raleigh's famous response, The nymph's reply to the shepherd.
See also the parody by Archibald Stodart-Walker.
Composition:
- Set to music by Rubin Goldmark (1872 - 1936), "The passionate shepherd to his love"
Text Authorship:
- by Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593), "The passionate shepherd to his love", written 1580-1592?
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , "Der feurige Schäfer zu seiner Liebsten", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Adolf von Marées) , "Der Schäfer an sein Lieb"
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: 185