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by John Suckling, Sir (1609 - 1642)

Honest Lover whosoever
Language: English 
Honest Lover whosoever,
If in all thy Love there ever
Was one wav'ring Thought, if thy Flame 
Were not still even, still the same: 
    Know this, 
    Thou lov'st amiss;
  And to love true,
  Thou must begin again, and love anew. 

If when she appears i'th' Room,
Thou do'st not quake, and art struck dumb,
And in striving this to cover
Dost not speak thy Words twice over,
    Know this,
    Thou lov'st amiss;
  And to love true,
  Thou must begin again, and love anew.

If fondly thou dost not mistake, 
And all Defects for Graces take; 
Perswad'st thyself that Jests are broken,
When she hath little or nothing spoken;
    Know this,
    Thou lov'st amiss;
  And to love true,
  Thou must begin again and love anew.

If when thou appear'st to be within, 
Thou lett'st not Men ask and ask again;
And when thou answer'st, if it be
To what was askt thee properly;
    Know this,
    Thou lov'st amiss;
  And to love true,
  Thou must begin again, and love anew.

If when thy Stomach calls to eat,
Thou cutt'st not Fingers 'stead of Meat,
And with much gazing on her Face
Dost not rise hungry from the Place,
    Know this,
    Thou lov'st amiss;
  And to love true,
  Thou must begin again, and love anew.

If by this thou dost discover 
That thou art no perfect Lover, 
And desiring to love true,
Thou dost begin to love anew;
    Know this,
    Thou lov'st amiss;
  And to love true,
  Thou must begin again, and love anew.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by John Suckling, Sir (1609 - 1642), "Song" [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 Seymour Barab (1921 - 2014), "Honest lover" [ voice, clarinet, viola, cello, and piano ], from Lovers, no. 7, Seesaw [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-02-10
Line count: 48
Word count: 251

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