by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Stay, gentle Echo Matches base text
Language: English
Stay, gentle Echo, dear Nymph, stay, With love's sad language thou can'st play; The last of my discourse retort, Love, once thy grief, is now thy sport. Echo: Thy sport. My sport, fair nymph? No, 'tis my pain To love, and not find love again. Echo: Again! Cruel, thus to increase my care, Is love a cordial for despair? Echo: Or despair. Love or despair! what dost thou mean, Would'st have me suffer both again? Echo: Both again. And what reward shall I e're find? Will fair Clarissa be still unkind? Echo: Still unkind. When Passion strains his voice most high, Will she, like thee, farther fly? Echo: Farther fly. Shall I in vain my sighs repeat, Since Cupid's grown so great a cheat? Tell me, dear Echo, how I may Chase this intruding guest away, And break that bow, whose pow'r most strange, Thy substance to a voice did change? Echo: Change. Ah no, my fate I cannot fly! 'Tis harder far to change than die. Echo: Than die. Ah! what, does this Echo say die? Echo: Ah! die! Is this the counsel I implore? Hence, hence, bubbling air, I will no more. Echo: I'll no more. Be ill no more? That I believe, He can't be ill that does not live. When Titan's weary car once more Has trac'd the spacious heav'ns o're, Near to this happy fountain set, I'll call thee with my flagelet: Fail not to hast and know my will. Echo: I will.
Composition:
- Set to music by John Blow (1649 - 1708), "Stay, gentle Echo"
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 43
Word count: 248