Wedlock, as old Men note, hath likened been,
Unto a publick Crowd or common Rout;
Where those that are without would fain get in,
And those that are within would fain get out.
Grief often treads upon the Heels of Pleasure,
Marry'd in Haste, we oft repent at Leisure;
Some by Experience find these Words misplac'd,
Marry'd at Leisure, they repent in Haste.

E. Vercoe sets lines 1-4

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

• by Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Wedlock", 2007 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Ross Lee Finney (1906 - 1997), "Wedlock, as old men note ", published c1950 [ high voice and piano ], from Poor Richard, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

• by Elizabeth Walton Vercoe (b. 1941), "Nine Epigrams from Poor Richard", 1986 [ voice and tape ]
  • View the full text. [sung text checked 1 time]
    

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-02-12
Line count: 8
Word count: 63