To fair Fidele's grassy tomb

General information

A text by William Collins. It is frequently referred to as the Dirge from Cymbeline, since it was frequently inserted into the Shakespeare play in eighteenth century productions.

Notes on selected settings

Anonymous SAB (vv.1, 4-6)
Thomas Arne
- Air Solo high
- Glee SATB (vv.1, 4-6)
Benjamin Cooke SATB (vv.1, 4-6)
William Jackson (of Exeter) solo high (vv.1-4,6,5)(To fairest Delia's tomb...)
Maria Hester Park SSA, SSB or TTB (vv. 1,2,5)
Venanzio Rauzzini STB (vv. 1,2,4,5)
Thomas Forbes Walmisley ATTB (vv. 1,4,5)

Settings by composers (automatically updated)

Anonymous — To fair Fidelia's grassy tomb English SAB
Thomas Arne — To fair Fidele's grassy tomb (air) English solo high
Thomas Arne — To fair Fidele's grassy tomb (glee) English SATB
Benjamin Cooke — To fair Fidele's grassy tomb English SATB
William Jackson of Exeter — To fairest Delia's grassy tomb English solo high
Maria Hester Park — To fair Fidele's grassy tomb English
Venanzio Rauzzini — To fair Fidele's grassy tomb English STB
Thomas Forbes Walmisley — To fair Fidele's grassy tomb English ATTB

Text and translations

English text

1 To fair Fidele's grassy tomb
Soft maids and village hinds shall bring
Each opening sweet of earliest bloom,
And rifle all the breathing Spring.

2 No wailing ghost shall dare appear,
To vex, with shrieks, this quiet grove;
But shepherd lads assemble here,
And melting virgins own their loves.

3 No wither'd witch shall here be seen,
No goblins lead the nightly crew;
But female fays shall haunt the green,
And dress the grove with pearly dew.

4 The redbreast oft, at evening hours,
Shall kindly lend his little aid,
With hoary moss, and gathered flowers,
To deck the ground where thou art laid.

5 Each lonely scene shall thee restore;
For thee the tear be duly shed;
Beloved till life can charm no more,
And mourned till pity's self be dead.

6 When howling winds and beating rain
In tempest shake the sylvan cell;
Or 'midst the chase, on every plain,
The tender thought on thee shall dwell.

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