Hail to the myrtle shade

Hail to the myrtle shade,
All hail to the nymphs of the fields!
Kings will not here invade,
Though virtue all freedom yields:
Beauty here opens her arms
To soften the languishing mind,
And Phyllis unlocks her charms;
Ah! Phyllis, ah! why so kind?

Phyllis, thou soul of love,
Thou joy of the neighb'ring swains:
Phyllis, that crowns the grove, 
And Phyllis, that gilds the plains:
Phyllis, that ne'er had the skill
To paint and to patch and be fine;
Yet Phyllis, whose eyes can kill,
Whom Nature has made divine.

Phyllis, whose charming song
Makes labour and pains a delight:
Phyllis, that makes the day young,
And shortens the livelong night:
Phyllis, whose lips like May
Still laugh at the sweets that they bring,
Where love never knows decay,
But sets with eternal spring.

by Nathaniel Lee (1653?-1692)

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

by Henry Purcell (1658/9-1695) , "Hail to the myrtle shade", Z. 606 (1680), from Theodosius or The Force of Love, no. 8.

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Gentle Reminder

This project is not funded. If you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated!      - Emily I also have a wishlist at Amazon.ca.

Search/Shop for

Sheet music:

  Search sheetmusicplus.com for Hail to the myrtle shade, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for Hail to the myrtle shade, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for Hail to the myrtle shade, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for Hail to the myrtle shade, art song, Lieder, or chansons

Books:

  The Art of the Song Recital [amazon.com]
  The Book of Lieder: The Original Texts of Over 1000 Songs [amazon.com]
  Search amazon.com for art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for art song, lieder, or chansons

Classical Vocal Repertoire