Go rose, my Chloe's bosom grace

General information

Lyricist: John Gay

Settings by composers

• William Benson Earle SATB
• Maurice Greene Solo
• William Jackson of Exeter SSTB

Texts and Translations

English text

Go rose, my Chloe's bosom grace,
How happy should I prove
Might I supply that envied place
With never-fading love;
There phoenix-like, beneath her eye,
Involved in fragrance burn and die.

Know, hapless flower, that thou shalt find
More fragrant roses there;
I see thy with'ring head reclined
With envy and despair.
One common fate we both must prove:
You die with envy, I with love.