by William Congreve (1670 - 1729)
A nymph and a swain See original
Language: English
A nymph and a swain to Apollo once prayed, The swain had been jilted, the nymph been betrayed: Their intent was to try if his oracle knew E'er a nymph that was chaste, or a swain that was true. Apollo was mute, and had like t'have been pos'd, But sagely at length he this secret disclosed: "He alone won't betray in whom none will confide: And the nymph may be chaste that has never been tried."
Composition:
- Set to music by John Eccles (1668 - 1735), "A nymph and a swain", from the incidental music to Love for Love
Text Authorship:
- by William Congreve (1670 - 1729), "Song", appears in Love for Love, Act II, Scene 3
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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: 8
Word count: 78