by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Thy face and eyes
Language: English
Thy face and eyes and all thou hast is fair, And for their sakes most men affect thee. But I perceive in thee something more rare Than outward beauty, for which I affect thee. Thy mind is fairer than thy face or eyes, And that same beauteous outside which thou hast Is but a curieus casket, in which lies The treasure of a mind virtuous and chaste. So keep them still, and let not youth deceive thee. For when through age thy beauty shall decay, Those that for beauty love thee, then will leave thee; But worth will last until thy dying day. But he that shall for both of these esteem thee, And think thee fair, and know thy virtues too, He cannot choose but ever dearly deem thee, And much admire thee, as I swear I do.
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [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 Walter Porter (1587 - 1659), "Thy face and eyes", published 1632. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: John Versmoren
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 139