by James Graham, Marquis of Montrose (1612 - 1650)
My dear and only Love, I pray
Language: English
My dear and only Love, I pray That little world of thee Be govern'd by no other sway Than purest monarchy; For if confusion have a part (Which virtuous souls abhor), And hold a synod in thine heart, I'll never love thee more. Like Alexander I will reign, And I will reign alone; My thoughts did evermore disdain A rival on my throne. He either fears his fate too much, Or his deserts are small, That dares not put it to the touch, To gain or lose it all. And in the empire of thine heart, Where I should solely be, If others do pretend a part Or dare to vie with me, Or if Committees thou erect, And go on such a score, I'll laugh and sing at thy neglect, And never love thee more. But if thou wilt prove faithful then, And constant of thy word, I'll make thee glorious by my pen And famous by my sword; I'll serve thee in such noble ways Was never heard before; I'll crown and deck thee all with bays, And love thee more and more.
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Text Authorship:
- by James Graham, Marquis of Montrose (1612 - 1650), "My dear and only Love" [author's text checked 1 time 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 Frances Arkwright (1787 - 1849), "Love song", published <<1830? [ voice and piano ], from A set of six songs, no. 4, London : J. Power [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Sullivan, Sir (1842 - 1900), "My Dear and Only Love", published 1874 [ voice and piano ], Boosey and Co. [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Montrose's love song", published 1879 [ voice and piano ], from Two Songs, no. 2, London: Stanley Lucas, Weber & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-10-24
Line count: 32
Word count: 185