Sweet honey sucking bees (John Wilbye)

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Music files (2 editions available)

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• CPDL #10289:

Editor: Vince M. Brennan (submitted 2005-11-30).   Score information: Letter, 7 pages   Copyright: Personal

Edition notes: Copyright (c) 2004 by V. M. Brennan

• CPDL #9304:

Editor: Brian Russell (submitted 2005-08-30).   Score information: Letter   Copyright: Personal

Edition notes: Includes part 2: Yet Take Heed

General Information

Title: Sweet honey sucking bees
Composer: John Wilbye

Number of voices: 5vv  Voicing: SSATB
Genre: Secular, Madrigal

Language: English
Instruments: a cappella
Published:

Description:

External websites:

Original text and translations

English text

Sweet honey sucking bees,
why do you still surfeit on roses, pinks and violets,
as if the choicest nectar lay in them
where with you store your curious cabinets?
Ah, make your flight to Melisuavia's lips.
There, there may you revel in ambrosian cheer,
where smiling roses and sweet lillies sit,
Keeping their springtide graces all the year,

Yet, sweet, take heed, all sweets are hard to get
Sting not, sting not her soft lips, O, beware of that,
for if one flaming dart come from her eye,
was never dart so sharp, ah, then you die, you die.