Nature
Thou pretty Bird, how do I see
From Lyrics from the Song-Books of the Elizabethan Age, ed. A. H. Bullen (London: Nimmo, 1891)
Thou pretty Bird, how do I see
Thy silly state and mine agree!
For thou a prisoner art;
So is my heart.
Thou sing'st to her, and so do I address
My Music to her ear that's merciless;
But herein doth the difference lie,—
That thou art grac'd, so am not I;
Thou singing liv'st, and I must singing die.
Codex Note
From John Danyel's Songs for the Lute, Viol, and Voice, 1606.
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Elizabethan songs). “Thou pretty Bird, how do I see.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-elizabethan-songs/145/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Elizabethan songs). “Thou pretty Bird, how do I see.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-elizabethan-songs/145/.
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