O sweet deceit (William Byrd)
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- Editor: James Gibb (submitted 2011-03-29). Score information: A4, 10 pages, 122 kB Copyright: CPDL
- Edition notes: Based on #12303, with minor corrections to underlay. Includes a keyboard reduction of the a cappella choral score.
- Editor: John Henry Fowler (submitted 2006-08-12). Score information: Letter, 14 pages, 89 kB Copyright: CPDL
- Edition notes:
- Possible error(s) identified. See the discussion page for full description.
General Information
Title: O Sweet Deceit
Composer: William Byrd
Number of voices: 5vv Voicing: SSATB
Genre: Secular, Madrigal
Language: English
Instruments: A cappella
First published:
Description:
External websites:
Original text and translations
English text
O sweet deceit in speech contained;
O sugar’d cup, wherein we drink our poison;
O false disembl’d thoughts of most disdained;
O subtle seas, that none can sound with reason!
What Circe can with all her craft and witches,
More mischief work than men with flatt’ring speeches?
Like Harpias vile, which poets’ feigning graces
To make the world the more at them to wonder,
They say these people have fair women’s faces
And claws that tear men’s hearts asunder;
In court they dwell and make their occupation
To cozen simple folk with adulation.