Peter Warlock: Peterisms: second set (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


 I mun be married [a]¹ Sunday,
 Whosoever shall come that way,
 I mun be married a Sunday.

 Roister Doister is my name,
 A lusty brute I am the same,
 I mun be married a Sunday.

 Christian Custance have I found,
 A widow worth a thousand pound,
 I mun be married a Sunday.

 Custance is as sweet as honey,
 I her lamb and she my coney;
 I mun be married a Sunday.

 When we shall make our wedding feast,
 There shall be cheer for man and beast;
 I mun be married a Sunday.

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¹ Britten: "on"

2. Spring

Language: English

Authorship

Thomas Nashe (1567-1601)

Summer's Last Will and Testament

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Available translations (or transliterations, if applicable):

GER

German


Spring, the sweet Spring, is the year's pleasant king;
Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring,
Cold doth not sting, the pretty birds do sing,
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!

The palm and may make country houses gay,
Lambs frisk and play, the [shepherds pipe]¹ all day,
And we hear aye birds tune this merry lay,
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!

The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet,
Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit,
In every street these tunes our ears do greet,
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!
Spring! The sweet Spring!

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¹ Argento: "shepherd pipes"

Input by Ted Perry

3. Lusty Juventus

Language: English

Authorship

R. Wever, probably Richard Wever (c1500?-1560?)

An Enterlude called lusty Juventus

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 In an harbour¹ grene aslepe whereas I lay
 The byrdes sang swete in the middes of the day:
 I dreamèd fast of mirth and play.
 In youth is pleasure, in youth is pleasure.

 Me thought I walkèd still to and fro,
 And from her company I could not go,
 But when I wakèd it was not so.
 In youth is pleasure, in youth is pleasure.

 Therefore my heart is surely pyght²
 Of her alone to have a sight
 Which is my joy and hearte's delight.
 In youth is pleasure, in youth is pleasure.

Modernized spelling

 In an arbour green asleep whereas I lay
 The birds sang sweet in the [middis]³ of the day:
 I dreamed fast of mirth and play;
 In youth is pleasure, in youth is pleasure.

 Methought I walked still to and fro,
 And from her company I could not go,
 But when I waked it was not so.
 In youth is pleasure, in youth is pleasure.

 Therefore my heart is surely pight ⁴
 Of her alone to have a sight
 Which is my joy and heart's delight.
 In youth is pleasure, in youth is pleasure.

Original version, Lusty Iuventus of youth he syngeth

 In a herber grene a sleep where as I lay, 
 The byrdes sang swete in y middes of the day,
 I dreamed fast of myrth and play,
 In youth is plesure, in youth is pleasure.

 Me thought I walked stil to and fro, 
 And from her company I could not go,
 But when I waked it was not so,
 In youth is plesure, in youth is plesure.

 Therfore my hart is surely pyght
 Of her alone to have a sight.
 Which is my joy and hartes delyght,
 In youth is plesure, in youth is pleasure. Finis.

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¹ presumably "arbour" (note from score)
² old past participle of pitch := resolved, set upon. (note from score)
³ Moeran: "middes"; Warlock (in "Youth"): "middès"
⁴ Note from score: pight: fixed, determined.