This edition was prepared by David Fraser — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Far from triumphing Court
Staff Notation • Secular, Lute songs
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Far from triumphing Court by John Dowland — Lyrics
Farre from triumphing Court and wonted glory,
He dwelt in shadie unfrequented places,
Times prisoner now he made his pastime story,
Gladly forgets Courts erst afforded graces,
That Goddesse whom hee servde to heav’n is gone,
And hee one earth, In darknesse left to moane.
But loe a glorious light from his darke rest
Shone from the place where erst this Goddesse dwelt
A light whose beames the world with fruit hath blest
Blest was the Knight while hee that light beheld:
Since then a starre fixed on his head hath shinde,
And a Saints Image in his hart is shrinde.
Ravisht with joy so grac’t by such a Saint,
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About Far from triumphing Court
John Dowland was one of the most significant composers of lute songs in Elizabethan and Jacobean England. This secular English song, Far from triumphing Court, is scored for solo voice. Its text laments a lost love and the subsequent withdrawal from courtly life. Yet, the poem pivots to a spiritual awakening, describing a divine light and a saintly vision that brings renewed joy and purpose. The music likely reflects this emotional journey, moving from a mood of melancholy to one of rapturous devotion. Dowland's mastery of word-painting and affective harmony is evident throughout his output, and this song offers a poignant example of his art.
