by Thomas d'Urfey (1653 - 1723)
On the brow of Richmond Hill
Language: English
Our translations: CAT
On the brow of Richmond Hill, Which Europe scarce can parallel, Ev'ry eye such wonders fill To view the prospect round; Where the silver Thames does glide, And stately courts are edified, Meadows deck'd in summer's pride, With verdant beauties crown'd; Lovely Cynthia passing by, With brighter glories blest my eye, Ah, then in vain, in vain said I, The fields and flow'rs do shine; Nature in this charming place Created pleasure in excess, But all are poor to Cynthia's face, Whose features are divine.
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Text Authorship:
- by Thomas d'Urfey (1653 - 1723), "Ode to Cynthia" [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "On the brow of Richmond Hill", 1947 [ voice and piano ], a realization of the Purcell song. Confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "On the brow of Richmond Hill", Z. 405, published 1692 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 85