This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Cupid and Rosalind
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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3 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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Cupid and Rosalind by Charles Villiers Stanford — Lyrics
Love in my bosom like a bee
Doth suck his sweet:
Now with his wings he plays with me,
Now with his feet.
Within mine eyes he makes his nest,
His bed amidst my tender breast;
My kisses are his daily feast,
And yet he robs me of my rest:
Ah! wanton, will ye?
And if I sleep, then percheth he
With pretty flight,
And makes his pillow of my knee
The livelong night.
Strike I my lute, he tunes the string;
He music plays if so I sing;
He lends me every lovely thing,
Yet cruel he my heart doth sting:
Whist, wanton, still ye!
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About Cupid and Rosalind
Stanford's Cupid and Rosalind is a secular SATB part-song in English, setting a poem of amorous complaint. The text personifies Cupid as a capricious bee, constantly teasing and tormenting the speaker with his presence. The music would likely reflect the playful yet stinging nature of this affection, with the choir capturing the speaker's exasperation at Cupid's relentless yet desired attentions. The composer skillfully portrays the lover's inner turmoil, as Cupid makes his nest in the eyes, his bed in the breast, and feasts on kisses, yet steals all rest. The part-song form allows for rich harmonic and contrapuntal interplay, mirroring the complex emotions described in the text. It is a vibrant setting of Renaissance-style verse.
