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by Thomas Lodge (1558 - 1625)

Love guards the roses of thy lips
Language: English 
Love guards the roses of thy lips
  And flies about them like a bee;
If I approach he forward skips,
  And if I kiss he stingeth me.
 
Love in thine eyes doth build his bower, 
  And sleeps within their pretty shine;
And if I look the boy will lower,
  And from their orbs shoot shafts divine.
 
Love works thy heart within his fire,
  And in my tears doth firm the same;
And if I tempt it will retire,
  And of my plaints doth make a game.
 
Love, let me cull her choicest flowers;
  And pity me, and calm her eye;
Make soft her heart, dissolve her lowers
  Then will I praise thy deity.
 
But if thou do not, Love, I’ll truly serve her
In spite of thee, and by firm faith deserve her.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900, ed. by Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1919.


Text Authorship:

  • by Thomas Lodge (1558 - 1625), "Phillis II" [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 John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "Love Guards the Roses of thy Lips", op. 256 (1950) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2023-04-25
Line count: 18
Word count: 133

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