English Songs and Ballads Part 3

We'll labour and smirk, we'll kiss and we'll drink, And t.i.thes shall come thicker and thicker; We'll fall to our plough, and have children enow, And thou shalt be learned old vicar.

WEEP NO MORE

Weep no more, nor sigh, nor groan, Sorrow calls no time that's gone: Violets pluck'd, the sweetest rain Makes not fresh nor grow again.

Trim thy locks, look cheerfully; Fate's hid ends eyes cannot see.

Joys as winged dreams fly fast, Why should sadness longer last?

Grief is but a wound to woe; Gentlest fair, mourn, mourn no moe.

PAN

Sing his praises that doth keep Our flocks from harm, Pan, the father of our sheep; And arm in arm Tread we softly in a round, Whilst the hollow neighbouring ground Fills the music with her sound.

Pan, O great G.o.d Pan, to thee Thus do we sing!

Thou who keep'st us chaste and free As the young spring: Ever be thy honour spoke, From that place the morn is broke, To that place day doth unyoke!

G.o.d LYAEUS

G.o.d Lyaeus, ever young, Ever honour'd, ever sung, Stain'd with blood of l.u.s.ty grapes, In a thousand l.u.s.ty shapes Dance upon the mazer's brim, In the crimson liquor swim; From thy plenteous hand divine Let a river run with wine: G.o.d of youth, let this day here Enter neither care nor fear.

A BATTLE-SONG

Arm, arm, arm, arm! the scouts are all come in; Keep your ranks close, and now your honours win.

Behold from yonder hill the foe appears; Bows, bills, glaives, arrows, s.h.i.+elds, and spears!

Like a dark wood he comes, or tempest pouring; O view the wings of horse the meadows scouring!

The vanguard marches bravely. Hark, the drums!

Dub, dub!

They meet, they meet, and now the battle comes: See how the arrows fly That darken all the sky!

Hark how the trumpets sound!

Hark how the hills rebound-- Tara, tara, tara, tara, tara!

Hark how the horses charge! in, boys! boys, in!

The battle totters; now the wounds begin: O how they cry!

O how they die!

Room for the valiant Memnon, armed with thunder!

See how he breaks the ranks asunder!

They fly! they fly! Eumenes has the chase, And brave Polybius makes good his place: To the plains, to the woods, To the rocks, to the floods, They fly for succour. Follow, follow, follow!

Hark how the soldiers hollow!

Hey, hey!

Brave Diocles is dead, And all his soldiers fled; The battle's won, and lost, That many a life hath cost.

MY LADY GREENSLEEVES

ANONYMOUS

Alas! my love, you do me wrong To cast me off discourteously; And I have loved you so long, Delighting in your company.

Greensleeves was all my joy!

Greensleeves was my delight!

Greensleeves was my heart of gold!

And who but my Lady Greensleeves!

I bought thee petticoats of the best, The cloth so fine as fine as might be; I gave thee jewels for thy chest, And all this cost I spent on thee.

Greensleeves was all my joy!

Greensleeves was my delight!

Greensleeves was my heart of gold!

And who but my Lady Greensleeves!

Thy smock of silk, both fair and white, With gold embroidered gorgeously; Thy petticoat of sendal right: And these I bought thee gladly.

Greensleeves was all my joy!

Greensleeves was my delight!

Greensleeves was my heart of gold!

And who but my Lady Greensleeves!

Greensleeves now farewell! adieu!

G.o.d I pray to prosper thee!

For I am still thy lover true: Come once again and love me!

Greensleeves was all my joy!

Greensleeves was my delight!

Greensleeves was my heart of gold!

And who but my Lady Greensleeves!