by George Herbert (1593 - 1633)
The Queen's Epicedium
Language: English
No, Lesbia no, you ask in vain, My harp, my mind's unstrung, When all the world's in tears, in pain, Do you require a song? See, how ev'ry nymph and swain Hang down their heads, and weep! No voice nor pipe is heard in all the plain, So great their sorrows, they neglect their sheep. The Queen of Arcadie is gone! Lesbia, the loss can't be expressed, Not with the deepest sigh, or groan, Or throbbings of the breast. Ah! poor Arcadians, how they mourn, Oh! the delight and wonder of their eyes! She's gone, and never must return: Their star is fix'd, and shines beyond the skies.
Authorship:
- by George Herbert (1593 - 1633) [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 John Blow (1649 - 1708), "The Queen's Epicedium" [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Athony Burton
This text was added to the website: 2009-07-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 108