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by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674)

Why dost thou wound and break my heart
Language: English 
Why dost thou wound and break my heart,
As if we should for ever part?
Hast thou not heard an oath from me,
After a day, or two, or three,
I would come back and live with thee?
Take, if thou dost distrust that vow,
This second protestation now:—
Upon thy cheek that spangled tear,
Which sits as dew of roses there,
That tear shall scarce be dried before
I'll kiss the threshold of thy door;
Then weep not, Sweet, but thus much know,—
I'm half returned before I go.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674), "His covenant or Protestation to Julia" [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 (William) Havergal Brian (1876 - 1972), "Why dost thou wound, and break my heart?", 1910, published 1933, copyright © 1913 [ tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2021-12-27
Line count: 13
Word count: 90

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