Thou art not fair for all thy red and white, For all those rosy ornaments in thee. Thou art not sweet nor made of mere delight, Nor fair, nor sweet unless thou pity me. I will not, I will not smooth thy fancy, Thou shalt prove that beauty is no beauty without love. Yet love not me, nor seek thou to allure My thoughts with beauty, were it now divine; Thy smiles and kisses I cannot endure, I'll not be wrapped up in those arms of thine. Now show if thou be a woman right, Embrace, and kiss, and love me in despite.
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Campion (1567 - 1620), from A Booke of Ayres, first published 1601 [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 Thomas Campion (1567 - 1620), "Thou art not fair", published 1601, from A Booke of Ayres = A Book of Airs, no. 12 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "Thou art not fair", 1920 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nicholas Lanier (1588 - 1666), "Thou art not fair", published 1652 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Männerstolz", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 103
Schön bist du nicht, bist du auch rot und weiß Gleich einem Rosenbeet, das Blüten trieb; Du bist auch nicht süß, tönt noch so hoch dein Preis: Nicht schön, nicht süß – außer du hätt´st mich lieb! Glaub mir aufs Wort, daß es nur eine gibt, Nur eine Schönheit, jene zwar, die liebt! Nur mich lieb nicht! Bemüh dich nicht erst lang! Dein Antlitz, wär´s auch schön, macht mir nicht warm; Um deinen Kuß ist mir recht wenig bang, Noch fühl´ich mich daheim in deinem Arm. Nun aber – komm und räche dein Geschlecht: Umarm und küß und lieb mich – jetzt erst recht!
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 103.
Text Authorship:
- by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), "Männerstolz", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Thomas Campion (1567 - 1620), from A Booke of Ayres, first published 1601
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 ]
Researcher for this page: Volkmar Henschel
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-24
Line count: 12
Word count: 104