by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Whilst Cynthia sung
Language: English
Whilst Cynthia sung, all angry winds lay still, And Zephyrs with a gentle gale Did softly swell the trembling sail, Cynthia! whose voice as well as eyes can kill. Charm'd with the magic of her tongue, The wanton waters danc'd along, Each little billow strove to stay, Though nature forced it away; And all together blame the tide. From rosy mouth she breath'd the perfum'd sound; The mournful Attic Philomel Ne'er did warble half so well, Whilst mocking echoes babble it around. Ne'er in so sweet a tune as this, Upon the banks of Thamesis, Did silver swans, about to die, Dear Cynthia, they're excelled by you, In sweetness, and in fairness too.
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), "Whilst Cynthia sung", Z. 438, published 1686. [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: 18
Word count: 113