The maidens came when I was in my mother's bow'r;
I had all that I would.
The bailey beareth the bell away;
The lily, the rose, the rose I lay.

The silver is white, red is the gold;
The robes they lay in fold.
The bailey beareth the bell away;
The lily, the rose, the rose I lay.

And through the glass window shines the sun.
How should I love, and I so young?
The bailey beareth the bell away;
The lily, the rose, the rose I lay.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

• by Anonymous / Unidentified Author ( 15^th century )  [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 Geoffrey Bush (1920 - 1998), "The maidens came when I was in my mother's bow'r", 1976 [ tenor and soprano ], from A Little Love Music, no. 2, Confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Peter Warlock (1894 - 1930), "The Bayly Berith the Bell Away", 1918, published 1919 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• by Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971), "Ricercar I : The maidens came ...", 1951-2, first performed 1952 [ soprano, tenor, women's chorus, and instrumental ensemble ], from cantata Cantata, no. 2
  • View the full text. [sung text checked 1 time]
    

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 88