by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
I'd rather be a village maid
Language: English
I'd rather be a village maid And owe to nature all my bloom, Than turn to fashion's glass for aid And flaunt beneath her borrow'd plume; To highborn dames I leave the gem, They grace the splendour it bestows, But Oh! what fate ordained for them Would ill become a simple rose. Oh! not for me her lover's vow That lures me to a prouder sphere, I have no heart for loving now, Unless my own first love were here. I see his smile, I hear his voice, Though years of absence interpose And I can make no second choice, For I am but a simple rose.
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 Michael William Balfe (1808 - 1870), "I'd rather be a village maid" [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-11-28
Line count: 16
Word count: 107