O dear life (William Byrd): Difference between revisions

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==Original text and translations==
==Original text and translations==


{{Text|English}}
{{Text|English|
<poem>
O dear life, when may it be,
O dear life, when may it be,
that mine eyes thine eyes may see,
that mine eyes thine eyes may see,
Line 44: Line 43:
These fair wonders to behold,
These fair wonders to behold,
Which in them my hopes do carry.
Which in them my hopes do carry.
</poem>
}}


[[Category:Sheet music]]
[[Category:Sheet music]]
[[Category:Renaissance music]]
[[Category:Renaissance music]]

Revision as of 22:42, 3 March 2015

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Editor: David Fraser (submitted 2002-11-08).   Score information: A4, 3 pages, 86 kB    Copyright: CPDL
Edition notes: Revised Feb 09

General Information

Title: O Dear Life
Composer: William Byrd

Number of voices: 5vv   Voicing: ATTBB

Genre: SecularPartsong

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

Published: Songs of sundrie natures (1589), no. 33

Description: A setting of a poem by Sir Philip Sidney (1554-86): the first three stanzas of the Tenth Song from Astrophel and Stella. The piece clearly originates as a consort song for high voice and four viols, though no source of this version is now known.

External websites:

Original text and translations

English.png English text

O dear life, when may it be,
that mine eyes thine eyes may see,
And in them my mind discover,
Whether absence hath had force,
Thy remembrance to divorce,
From the Image of thy lover.

O, if I my self find not,
though my parting aught forgot
Nor debarred from beauty’s treasure
Let no tongue aspire to tell
In what high Joys I shall dwell,
Only thought aims at the pleasure.

Thought therefore I will send thee
To take up the place for me,
Long I will not after tarry,
There unseen thou mayst be bold
These fair wonders to behold,
Which in them my hopes do carry.