by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Musing on cares
Language: English
Musing on cares of human fate, In a sad cypress grove, A strange dispute I heard of late, 'Twixt Virtue, Fame and Love. A pensive shepherd ask'd advice, And their opinions crav'd, How he might hope to be so wise To get a place beyond the skies, And how he might be sav'd. Nice Virtue preach'd religion's laws, Paths to eternal rest; To fight his king's and country's cause, Fame counsell'd him was best. But Love oppos'd their noisy tongues, And thus their votes outbrav'd, "Get, get a mistress fair and young, Love fiercely, constantly and long, And then you shalt be sav'd." Swift as thought, the amorous swain To Sylvia's cottage flies, In soft expressions told her plain The way to heavenly joys. She, who with piety was stor'd Delays no longer crav'd; Charm'd by the god whom they ador'd She smil'd and took him at his word, And thus they both were sav'd.
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 Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "Musing on cares", Z. 467, published 1685. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 27
Word count: 155