The lie (John Liptrot Hatton)
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- (Posted 2019-10-08) CPDL #55549:
- Editor: James Gibb (submitted 2019-10-08). Score information: A4, 5 pages, 88 kB Copyright: CPDL
- Edition notes: English modernised.
General Information
Title: The lie
Composer: John Liptrot Hatton
Lyricist: Walter Raleigh
Number of voices: 4vv Voicing: ATTB
Genre: Sacred, Partsong
Language: English
Instruments: Keyboard
First published: 1874 in Novello's Part-Song Book (2nd series), Vol. 7, no. 231
Description: The lyrics are adapted from Raleigh's longer poem.
External websites:
Original text and translations
English text
1 Go, soul, the body’s guest,
Upon a thankless errand;
Fear not to touch the best;
The truth shall be thy warrant.
Go, since I needs must die,
And give the world the lie.
2 Go, tell the Court, it glows
And shines like rotten wood;
Go, tell the Church, it shows
What’s good, and doth no good.
If Church and Court reply,
Then give them both the lie.
3 Tell Fortune of her blindness;
Tell Skill it is pretension;
Tell Charity of coldness;
Tell Law it is contention.
And as they yield reply,
So give them still the lie.
4 So when thou hast, as I
Commanded thee, done blabbing,
Although to give the lie
Deserves no less than stabbing,
Yet stab at thee who will,
No stab the soul can kill.