by John Dryden (1631 - 1700)
Ah fading joy, how quickly art thou...
Language: English
Ah fading joy, how quickly art thou past!
Yet we thy ruine haste:
As if the Cares of Humane Life were few,
We seek out new,
And follow Fate that does 1 too fast pursue.
See how on ev'ry Bough the Birds express
In their sweet notes their happiness.
They all enjoy and nothing spare;
But on their Mother Nature lay their care:
Why then should Man, the Lord of all below,
Such troubles chuse to know,
As none of all his Subjects undergo?
Hark, hark, the Waters fall, fall, fall
And with a Murmuring sound
Dash, dash, upon the ground,
To gentle slumbers call.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by John Dryden (1631 - 1700), no title, appears in The Indian Emperor [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 Robin Holloway (b. 1943), "Ah, fading joy, how quickly art thou past", published 1974 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], Borough Green, Kent, Eng. : Novello [sung text not yet checked]
- by Egon Joseph Wellesz (1885 - 1974), "Ah! Fading Joy", op. 63 no. 1 (1946-1950), published 1950 [ baritone and piano ], from On Time. Three Songs for Barytone, no. 1, Alfred Lengnick & Co. Ltd [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-02-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 105