Poetry Codex

Tudor & Elizabethan

Anonymous (Elizabethan songs)

c. 1588–1630

Between 1588 and about 1630 English composers printed hundreds of songs for voices and lute: madrigals, ballets, airs and rounds by Byrd, Dowland, Morley, Wilbye, Jones, Ford, Ravenscroft and others. The words were usually printed without a poet's name, and the composer named on the title-page is not the author of the lyric.

This file gathers the lyrics of A. H. Bullen's Lyrics from the Song-Books of the Elizabethan Age (1887; second edition 1891), each with its song-book in the note, together with the few songs in his Lyrics from the Dramatists of the Elizabethan Age (1889) that belong to anonymous plays and masques. Lyrics that Bullen firmly gives to a named poet are not included here, and Thomas Campion's airs are on his own page.

Poems (194)

  1. The Day Must Have Her Night, the Spring Her Fall
  2. The Nut-Brown Ale
  3. Bring Us in Good Ale
  4. Ding Dong, Dong
  5. Winter
  6. The Song of Night
  7. In Laudem Amoris
  8. A little pretty bonny lass was walking
  9. A shepherd in a shade his plaining made
  10. A Sparrow-Hawk proud did hold in wicked jail
  11. A woman's looks
  12. About the maypole new, with glee and merriment
  13. Adieu, sweet Amaryllis!
  14. April is in my mistress' face
  15. Arise, my thoughts, and mount you with the sun
  16. Awake, sweet Love! 'tis time to rise
  17. Ay me, can every rumour
  18. Ay me, my mistress scorns my love
  19. Behold a wonder here!
  20. Brown is my Love, but graceful
  21. By a fountain where I lay
  22. The Urchins' Dance
  23. The Elves' Dance
  24. The Courtier's Good Morrow to his Mistress
  25. Cold Winter's ice is fled and gone
  26. Come away! come, sweet Love!
  27. Come, Phyllis, come into these bowers
  28. Come, shepherd swains, that wont to hear me sing
  29. Crowned with flowers I saw fair Amaryllis
  30. The Fairies' Dance
  31. Dear, if you change, I'll never choose again
  32. Do you not know how Love lost first his seeing?
  33. Draw on, sweet Night, best friend unto those cares
  34. Each day of thine, sweet month of May
  35. Fair Phyllis I saw sitting all alone
  36. Farewell, false Love, the oracle of lies
  37. Farewell, my joy!
  38. Fine knacks for ladies, cheap, choice, brave and new
  39. Flora gave me fairest flowers
  40. Fond wanton youths make love a God
  41. From Citheron the warlike boy is fled
  42. To Master Hugh Holland
  43. Go crystal tears! like to the morning showers
  44. Go, turn away those cruel eyes
  45. Ha ha! ha ha! this world doth pass
  46. Happy he
  47. Happy, O! happy he, who not affecting
  48. Have I found her? O rich finding!
  49. Heigh ho! chill go to plough no more!
  50. How shall I then describe my Love?
  51. I always loved to call my lady Rose
  52. A Wooing Song of a Yeoman of Kent's Son
  53. I joy not in no earthly bliss
  54. I live, and yet methinks I do not breathe
  55. I saw my Lady weep
  56. I sung sometime my thoughts and fancy's pleasure
  57. I will no more come to thee
  58. If fathers knew but how to leave
  59. If I urge my kind desires
  60. If my complaints could passions move
  61. If women could be fair and never fond
  62. In crystal towers and turrets richly set
  63. In darkness let me dwell, the ground shall sorrow be
  64. In midst of woods or pleasant grove
  65. In pride of May
  66. In Sherwood lived stout Robin Hood
  67. Inconstant Laura makes me death to crave
  68. Injurious hours, whilst any joy doth bless me
  69. Is Love a boy,—what means he then to strike?
  70. The Marriage of the Frog and the Mouse
  71. Kind in unkindness, when will you relent
  72. Lady, the birds right fairly
  73. Lady, the melting crystal of your eye
  74. Lady, when I behold the roses sprouting
  75. Let not Chloris think, because
  76. Let not the sluggish sleep
  77. Let us in a lovers' round
  78. Like two proud armies marching in the field
  79. Lo! country sport that seldom fades
  80. Love is a bable
  81. Love not me for comely grace
  82. Love's god is a boy
  83. Love winged my hopes and taught me how to fly
  84. The Bellman's Song
  85. More than most fair, full of all heavenly fire
  86. Mother, I will have a husband
  87. My hope a counsel with my heart
  88. My love bound me with a kiss
  89. My Love is neither young nor old
  90. My mind to me a kingdom is
  91. My Thoughts are winged with Hopes, my Hopes with Love
  92. Now every tree renews his summer's green
  93. Now God be with old Simeon
  94. Now have I learn'd with much ado at last
  95. Now is my Chloris fresh as May
  96. Now is the month of maying
  97. Now let us make a merry greeting
  98. Now what is love, I pray thee tell?
  99. O say, dear life, when shall these twin-born berries
  100. O stay, sweet love; see here the place of sporting
  101. O sweet, alas, what say you?
  102. Oft have I mused the cause to find
  103. On a time the amorous Silvy
  104. Once did I love and yet I live
  105. Once I thought to die for love
  106. Our country-swains in the morris dance
  107. Pierce did love fair Petronel
  108. Pour forth, mine eyes, the fountains of your tears
  109. Robin is a lovely lad
  110. The Satyrs' Dance
  111. See, see, mine own sweet jewel
  112. Shall a frown or angry eye
  113. Shall I abide this jesting?
  114. Shall I look to ease my grief?
  115. She whose matchless beauty staineth
  116. Shoot, false Love! I care not
  117. Simkin said that Sis was fair
  118. Since first I saw your face I resolved to honour and renown ye
  119. Sing we and chant it
  120. Sister, awake! close not your eyes!
  121. So light is love, in matchless beauty shining
  122. Some can flatter, some can feign
  123. Sweet, come again!
  124. Sweet Cupid, ripen her desire
  125. Sweet heart, arise! why do you sleep
  126. Sweet Kate
  127. Sweet Love, if thou wilt gain a monarch's glory
  128. Sweet Love, I will no more abuse thee
  129. Sweet Love, my only treasure
  130. Sweet, stay awhile; why will you rise?
  131. Tuwhoo, tuwhit, tuwhit, tuwhoo-o-o
  132. Take here my heart, I give it thee for ever!
  133. Take time while time doth last
  134. The Fly she sat in shamble-row
  135. The gods have heard my vows
  136. The lark, linnet and nightingale to sing some say are best
  137. The love of change hath changed the world throughout
  138. The lowest trees have tops, the ant her gall
  139. The greedy hawk with sudden sight of lure
  140. The match that's made for just and true respects
  141. The Nightingale so pleasant and so gay
  142. There is a Lady sweet and kind
  143. There were three Ravens sat on a tree
  144. Think'st thou, Kate, to put me down
  145. Thou art but young, thou say'st
  146. Thou pretty Bird, how do I see
  147. Though Amaryllis dance in green
  148. Though my carriage be but careless
  149. Thrice blessed be the giver
  150. Thus saith my Chloris bright
  151. Thus saith my Galatea
  152. To plead my faith, where faith hath no reward
  153. To shorten winter's sadness
  154. Toss not my soul, O Love, 'twixt hope and fear!
  155. Unto the temple of thy beauty
  156. Upon a hill the bonny boy
  157. Upon a summer's day Love went to swim
  158. Wake, sleepy Thyrsis, wake
  159. We be soldiers three
  160. We be three poor mariners
  161. We must not part as others do
  162. We shepherds sing, we pipe, we play
  163. Wedded to will is witless
  164. Weep no more, thou sorry boy
  165. Weep you no more, sad fountains
  166. Welcome, sweet pleasure
  167. Were I a king, I might command content
  168. What hap had I to marry a shrow!
  169. What is our life? a play of passion
  170. What needeth all this travail and turmoiling
  171. What pleasure have great princes
  172. What poor astronomers are they
  173. What then is love, sings Corydon
  174. When Flora fair the pleasant tidings bringeth
  175. When I was otherwise than now I am
  176. When younglings first on Cupid fix their sight
  177. Where most my thoughts, there least mine eye is striking
  178. A Mourning-song for the Death of Sir Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke
  179. Whether men do laugh or weep
  180. While that the sun with his beams hot
  181. Whilst youthful sports are lasting
  182. White as lilies was her face
  183. Whither so fast? see how the kindly flowers
  184. Who likes to love, let him take heed!
  185. 1. Who made thee, Hob, forsake the plough
  186. Who prostrate lies at women's feet
  187. Who would have thought that face of thine
  188. Why are you Ladies staying
  189. Wilt thou, Unkind! thus 'reave me
  190. Woeful Heart, with grief oppressed!
  191. Ye bubbling springs that gentle music makes
  192. You blessed bowers whose green leaves now are spreading
  193. You that wont to my pipe's sound
  194. Your shining eyes and golden hair

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