possibly by Thomas Carew (1595? - 1639?) and possibly by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674)
Translation

The primrose  
Language: English  after the English 
Aske me why I send you here,
this firstling of the Infant yeere;
aske me why I send to you,
this Primrose all bepearl'd with dew,
I must whisper to your Eares,
the sweets of Love are wash'd with teares.

Aske me why this Rose doth show
All yellow, green, and sickly too?
Aske me why the stalk is weak,
And yielding each way, yet not break?
I must tell you, these discover
What doubts and fears, are in a Lover.

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It is based on

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Frank Bridge.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2014-04-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 81