On a spiritual fever (Quarles, set by J. Beeson) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


E'en like two little bank-dividing brooks,
 That wash the pebbles with their wanton streams,
And having ranged and search'd a thousand nooks,
 Meet both at length in silver-breasted Thames,
 Where in a greater current they conjoin:
So I my Best-beloved's am; so He is mine.

E'en so we met; and after long pursuit,
 E'en so we joined; we both became entire;
No need for either to renew a suit,
 For I was flax, and He was flames of fire:
 Our firm-united souls did more than twine;
So I my Best-beloved's am; so He is mine.

If all those glittering Monarchs, that command
 The servile quarters of this earthly ball,
Should tender in exchange their shares of land,
 I would not change my fortunes for them all:
 Their wealth is but a counter to my coin:
The world 's but theirs; but my Beloved's mine.

Authorship

Francis Quarles (1592-1644)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Jack Hamilton Beeson (1921-)

Five Songs

Date added to the website: 2008-07-12.

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