by Thomas Heywood (?1574 - 1641)

Language: English 
Pack, clouds, away! and welcome, day!
  With night we banish sorrow.
Sweet air, blow soft; mount, larks, aloft
  To give my Love good-morrow!
Wings from the wind to please her mind,
  Notes from the lark I'll borrow:
Bird, prune thy wing! nightingale, sing!
  To give my Love good-morrow!
      To give my Love good-morrow
      Notes from them both I'll borrow.

Wake from thy nest, robin-red-breast!
  Sing, birds, in every furrow!
And from each bill, let music shrill
  Give my fair Love good-morrow!
Blackbird and thrush in every bush,
  Stare, linnet, and cocksparrow!
You pretty elves, among yourselves
  Sing my fair Love good-morrow;
      To give my Love good-morrow
      Sing, birds, in every furrow!

Glossary
Stare = starling

Composition:

    Set to music by Roger Quilter (1877 - 1953), "Morning Song", op. 24 no. 2, published 1922, first performed 1922 [ voice and piano ], from Five English Love Lyrics, no. 2, London, Chappell & Co. Confirmed with CD Booklet Roger Quilter - The Elizabethan & Jacobean Lyrics, Nimbus Records, NI5969.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-23
Line count: 20
Word count: 118