Her eyes the glow-worm lend thee

General information

Lyricist: Robert Herrick

Settings by composers

• John Goss SATB
• John Liptrot Hatton ATTB
• Gustav Holst SATB (vv.1-2 0nly)

Texts and Translations

English text

1 Her eyes the glow-worm lend thee,
The shooting stars attend thee,
And the elves also,
Whose little eyes glow
Like the sparks of fire, befriend thee.

2 No will-o'-the-wisp mislight thee,
Nor snake or slow-worm bite thee,
But on, on thy way,
Not making a stay,
Since ghost there is none to affright thee.

3 Then let not the dark thee cumber,
What though the moon does slumber,
The stars of the night
Will lend thee their light,
Like tapers clear without number.

4 Then, Julia, let me woo thee,
Thus to come unto me;
And when I shall meet
Thy silvery feet,
My soul I'll pour into thee.