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by Andrew Marvell (1621 - 1678)

The Mower's Song
Language: English 
My mind was once the true survey
      Of all these meadows fresh and gay,
      And in the greenness of the grass
      Did see its hopes as in a glass;
      When Juliana came, and she
What I do to the grass, does to my thoughts and me.

      But these, while I with sorrow pine,
      Grew more luxuriant still and fine,
      That not one blade of grass you spy’d
      But had a flower on either side;
      When Juliana came, and she
What I do to the grass, does to my thoughts and me.

      Unthankful meadows, could you so
      A fellowship so true forgo?
      And in your gaudy May-games meet
      While I lay trodden under feet?
      When Juliana came, and she
What I do to the grass, does to my thoughts and me.

      But what you in compassion ought,
      Shall now by my revenge be wrought;
      And flow’rs, and grass, and I and all,
      Will in one common ruin fall.
      For Juliana comes, and she
What I do to the grass, does to my thoughts and me.

      And thus, ye meadows, which have been
      Companions of my thoughts more green,
      Shall now the heraldry become
      With which I shall adorn my tomb;
      For Juliana comes, and she
What I do to the grass, does to my thoughts and me.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   D. Thomas 

D. Thomas sets stanzas 1-3

Text Authorship:

  • by Andrew Marvell (1621 - 1678), "The Mower's Song" [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 David Evan Thomas (b. 1958), "The Mower's Song", 2015, stanzas 1-3 [ tenor and piano ], from Green Thoughts in a Green Shade, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , David Evan Thomas

This text was added to the website: 2024-07-12
Line count: 30
Word count: 216

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