But let stil Silence trew night-watches keepe

But let stil Silence trew night‑watches...

Language: English

But let stil Silence trew night-watches keepe,
That sacred Peace may in assurance rayne,
And tymely Sleep, when it is tyme to sleepe,
May poure his limbs forth on your pleasant playne.
The whiles an hundred little winged Loves,
Like divers-fethered doves,
Shall fly and flutter round about the bed,
And in the secret darke, that none reproves, 
Their prety stealthes shall worke, and snares shall spread
To filch away sweet snatches of delight,
Conceald through covert night.
Ye sonnes of Venus, play your sports at will!
For greedy Pleasure, carelesse of your toyes, 
Thinks more upon her paradise of ioyes,
Then what ye do, albe it good or ill.
All night, therefore, attend your merry play,
For it will soone be day:
Now none doth hinder you, that say or sing; 
Ne will the woods now answer, nor your eccho ring.

Available sung texts: ← What is this?

• R. Vaughan Williams

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with The Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser, Volume V, edited by Francis J. Child, London: Imprinted for William Ponsonbie, dwelling in Paules Churchyard at the Signe of the Bishops Head, 1591.

Text as set by Vaughan Williams:

But let still Silence true night watches keep,
That sacred peace may in assurance reign,
And timely sleep, when it is time to sleep,
May pour his limbs forth on your pleasant plain.

Text Authorship:

by Edmund Spenser (1552 - 1599), no title, appears in Amoretti and Epithalamion, in Epithalamion, no. 20 [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):

[ None yet in the database ]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "The minstrel's song", 1957, published 1957 [ baritone, mixed chorus, orchestra ], from cantata Epithalamion, no. 9, London, Oxford University Press
- View the full text. [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Gustav Ringel

This text was added to the website: 2020-01-12
Line count: 19
Word count: 142