To Althea, from prison (Lovelace, set by (J. Frederick Keel, Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir, Roger Quilter, Maude Valérie White)) (The LiederNet Archive: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)

To Althea, from prison

Language: English

When Love with unconfined wings
  Hovers within my Gates;
And my divine Althea brings
  To whisper at the Grates:
When I lye tangled in her haire,
  And fetterd to her eye;
The Gods, that wanton in the Aire,
  Know no such Liberty.

When flowing Cups run swiftly round
  With no allaying Thames,
Our carelesse heads with Roses bound,
  Our hearts with Loyall Flames;
When thirsty griefe in Wine we steepe,
  When Healths and draughts go free,
Fishes that tipple in the Deepe,
  Know no such Libertie.

When (like committed Linnets) I
  With shriller throat shall sing
The sweetnes, Mercy, Majesty,
  And glories of my KING;
When I shall voyce aloud, how Good
  He is, how Great should be;
Inlarged Winds that curle the Flood,
  Know no such Liberty.

Stone Walls doe not a Prison make,
  Nor I'ron bars a Cage;
Mindes innocent and quiet take
  That for an Hermitage;
If I have freedome in my Love,
  And in my soule am free;
Angels alone that sore above,
  Injoy such Liberty.

C. Parry sets stanzas 1-2, 4

View text with footnotes

Authorship

by Richard Lovelace (1618 - 1658), "To Althea, from prison" [author's text checked 1 time 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 J. Frederick Keel (1871 - 1954), "To Althea, from prison" [sung text not yet checked]
by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "To Althea, from prison", 1895, published 1895, stanzas 1-2,4 [ voice and piano ], from English Lyrics, Third Set, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Roger Quilter (1877 - 1953), "To Althea, from prison", op. 28 no. 4 (1925), published 1926 [ voice and piano ], from Five Jacobean Lyrics, no. 4, London, Boosey [sung text checked 1 time]
by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "To Althea from prison", published 1882 [ voice and piano ], London: Boosey & Co. [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

GER German (Deutsch) (Adolf von Marées) , "Der Cavalier im Gefängnis"

Researcher for this text: Ted Perry

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 170