...Love to his own sweet singing awoke...

[dwgm]

After writing that little fic, 'The Parting Glass', I was moved to listen to my recording of the song by the Robert Shaw Chorale on their Irish Folk Songs CD--it's an old recording: I first heard it in high school, courtesy of my good friend, Sue, who had the most marvelous collection of music, particularly lots of classical and light classical, with an emphasis on choral music (which greatly appealed to us, being avid members of the school choirs all through junior high and high school). One of my favorite songs on the Irish Folk Songs CD is 'Sing--sing--Music Was Given'. In a spare moment I Googled it, and I find the words are by Sir Thomas Moore, who also wrote 'My Gentle Harp', and 'To Ladies Eye' on the same CD. You learn something new every day. The whole collection of Moore's poems is here, and that beautiful, old-fashioned song is under the cut.

Sing--sing--Music was given

Sing--sing--Music was given,
To brighten the gay, and kindle the loving;
Souls here, like planets in Heaven,
By harmony's laws alone are kept moving.

Beauty may boast of her eyes and her cheeks,
But Love from the lips his true archery wings;
And she, who but feathers the dart when she speaks,
At once sends it home to the heart when she sings.

Then sing--sing--Music was given,
To brighten the gay, and kindle the loving;
Souls here, like planets in Heaven,
By harmony's laws alone are kept moving.

When Love, rocked by his mother,
Lay sleeping as calm as slumber could make him,
"Hush, hush," said Venus, "no other
"Sweet voice but his own is worthy to wake him."
Dreaming of music he slumbered the while
Till faint from his lip a soft melody broke,
And Venus, enchanted, looked on with a smile,
While Love to his own sweet singing awoke.

Then sing--sing--Music was given,
To brighten the gay, and kindle the loving;
Souls here, like planets in Heaven,
By harmony's laws alone are kept moving.


~.~