When daisies pied (John Stafford Smith)

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• (Posted 2021-03-22)  CPDL #63615: 

Editor: Christopher Shaw (submitted 2021-03-22).   Score information: A4, 2 pages, 129 kB   Copyright: CPDL

Edition notes: Originally written for men's voices, this edition is also offered for SSA. Please click on the link for preview/playback/PDF download.

General Information

Title: When daisies pied
Composer: John Stafford Smith
Lyricist: William Shakespeare

Number of voices: 3vv   Voicings: SSA or TTB
Genre: Secular, Glee

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

First published: 1785
Description: Song from The Winter's Tale.

Original text and translations

English text

When daisies pied, and violets blue,
And ladysmocks all silver white,
And cuckoo buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight;
The cuckoo then, from tree to tree,
Mocks married men;
For thus sings he:
Cuckoo. O word of fear
Unpleasing to a married ear.

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks,
And turtles tread, and rooks and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks;
The cuckoo then on ev'ry tree
Mocks married men;
For thus sings he:
Cuckoo. O word of fear
Unpleasing to a married ear.