Lydia, bella puella, candida, Quæ bene superas lac et lilium, Albamque simul rosam rubidam, Aut expolitum ebur Indicum! Pande, puella, pande capillulos, Flavos, lucentes ut aurum nitidum. Pande, puella, collum candidum, Productum bene candidis humeris. Pande, puella, stellatos oculos, Flexaque super nigra cilia. Pande, puella, genas roseas, Perfusas rubro purpuræ Tyriæ. Porrige labra, labra corallina; Da columbatim mitia basia. Sugis amentis partem animi: Cor mihi penetrant hæc tua basia. Quid mihi sugis vivum sanguinem? Conde papillas, conde gemipomas, Compresse lacte quæ modo pullulant. Sinus expansa profert cinnama: Undique surgunt ex te deliciæ. Conde papillas, quæ me sauciant Candore et luxu nivei pectoris. Sæva non cernis quantum ego langueo? Sic me destituis jam semimortuum?
Confirmed with Poésies de Cornelius Gallus. Traduction nouvelle par M. Jules Genouille, Paris, C. L. F. Panckoucke, 1836, pages 40, 42.
Text Authorship:
- by Gaius Cornelius Gallus (70 BCE - 26 BCE), "Ad Lydiam" [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation possibly by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647 - 1680) ; composed by George Monro.
- Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by George Monro.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Charles Isaac Elton, QC) , "To Lydia" [an adaptation]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2019-08-10
Line count: 25
Word count: 113
My goddess [Lydia]1, heav'nly fair, As lilies sweet, as soft as air; Let loose thy tresses, spread thy charms, And to my love give fresh alarms. O let me gaze on those bright eyes, Though sacred lightning from them flies: Show me that soft, that modest grace, Which paints with charming red thy face. Give me ambrosia in a kiss, That I may rival Jove in bliss; That I may mix my soul with thine, And make the pleasure all divine. O hide thy bosom's killing white, (The milky way is not so bright) Lest you my ravish'd soul oppress, With beauty's pomp and sweet excess. Why draw'st thou from the purple flood Of my kind heart the vital blood? Thou art all over endless charms; O ! take me, dying, to thy arms.
G. Monro sets stanzas 1, 3, 5
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with A Select Collection of English Songs: With Their Original Airs: and a Historical Essay on the Origin and Progress of National Song; by the late Joseh Ritson, Esq. in Three Volumes, The Second Edition, with Additional Songs and Occasional Notes. By Thomas Park, F. S. A., Volume I, London, printed for F. C. and J. Rivington, etc., 1813, page 225, in which it is titled "Song XIX. (In imitation of Cornelius Gallus" and attributed to the Earl of Rochester.
1 Monro: "Celia"Text Authorship:
- possibly by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647 - 1680), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Latin by Gaius Cornelius Gallus (70 BCE - 26 BCE), "Ad Lydiam"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by George Monro (1680? - 1731?), "Celia the Fair", stanzas 1,3,5 [ voice and piano ] [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-11-16
Line count: 20
Word count: 135