Lay a garland on my hearse

General information

Lyricists: Francis Beaumont & John Fletcher.

Settings by composers

• Charles Hubert Hastings Parry T solo
• Robert Lucas Pearsall SSAATTBB (1st person changed to 3rd person feminine in text)

Text and translations

English text Lay a garland on my[her] hearse, Of the[…] dismal yew, Maidens, willow branches bear, Say I[she] died true. My[Her] love was false, but I[she] was firm From my[her] hour of birth; Upon my[her] buried body lie Lightly, [thou] gentle earth. Note: The words inside the brackets indicate Pearsall's alterations to the original poem by Beaumont and Fletcher.

German translation Legt den Kranz von dunkler Eibe sachte auf ihr Grab; Weidenzweige bringt, ihr Mädchen, sagt, wie treu sie starb. Untreu war ihr Lieb, doch sie war aufrecht immerzu. Ihren Leib, o Erde, bette sanft zur ew'gen Ruh. Poetic translation released under the CPDL license by Jan-Frerk Burmester. The translator would appreciate feedback if you use his translations - please email: jf.burmester  web.de

Italian text Deponete una corona sul suo carro funebre, di triste tasso, o fanciulle, recate rami di salice, Proclamatelo, ella morì da giusta. Il suo amore non fu vero, ma rimase sempre retta, dall'ora in cui nacque. Grava con leggerezza sul suo corpo sepolto, o nobile terreno.