by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Beware, poor shepherds
Language: English
Beware, poor shepherds! all beware, Beware of Lelia's arts, Whose ev'ry word contains a snare, Her eyes a thousand darts. She'll hear and entertain your vows, And give you hopes of bliss; Nay, swear she loves, confirm the oath, And seal it with a kiss. But when the woeful circumstance Proclaims the conquest sure, Too late you'll curse the fatal chance, Too soon th'effect endure. I that once thought myself her care Now hopeless must complain; Learn, therefore, to shun the snare, By thinking on my pain.
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "Beware, poor shepherds", subtitle: "The caution", Z. 361, published 1684. [text verified 1 time]
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: 87