by John Donne (1572 - 1631)
Woman's constancy
Language: English
Now thou hast loved me one whole day, Tomorrow when thou leav'st, what wilt thou say? Wilt thou then antedate some new made vow? Or say that now We are not just those persons, which we were? Or, that oaths made in reverential fear Of Love, and his wrath, any may forswear? Or, as true deaths, true marriages untie, So lovers' contracts, images of those, Bind but till sleep, death's image, them unloose? Or, your own end to justify, For having purposed change, and falsehood, you Can have no way but falsehood to be true? Vain lunatic, against these 'scapes I could Dispute, and conquer, if I would, Which I abstain to do, For by tomorrow, I may think so too.
Text Authorship:
- by John Donne (1572 - 1631), "Woman's constancy" [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 Samuel Hans Adler (b. 1928), "Woman's constancy" [tenor and piano], from Unholy Sonnets, no. 3. [text verified 1 time]
- by Malcolm Henry Arnold (1921 - 2006), "Woman's constancy", op. 114 no. ?, published 1977, from Two John Donne Songs [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 17
Word count: 121