by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
When first my shepherdess and I
Language: English
When first my shepherdess and I Enjoy'd with mutual love, She vow'd a thousand deaths to die, Before she false would prove, Then in a cooing tone she cried, "My Damon, still prove true!" "My Damon, die," I soon replied, "Whene'er he loves not you." But oh! too soon Myrtillo came By chance into the plain; Aminta then was not the same, For all her vows were vain. Yet with fresh charms she did renew The vows, my eyes to blind; I wish'd, but could not think them true, She being of womankind.
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [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 Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "When first my shepherdess and I", Z. 431, published 1687. [text verified 1 time]
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: 93