Slow, slow, fresh fount

General information

Lyricist: Ben Jonson, from the play, Cynthia's Revels.

Settings by composers

• Jon Corelis S solo, with wind ensemble
• William Horsley SATB (text variations from Ben Jonson shown in brackets).
• Thomas Attwood Walmisley SSATB

Text and translations

English text

Slow, slow, fresh fount, keep time with my salt tears;
Yet slower, yet; O faintly[fainter] gentle springs:
List to the heavy part the music bears,
Woe weeps out her division, when she sings.
Droop herbs and flowers;
Fall grief in showers;
Our beauties are[beauty is] not ours;
O, I could still,
Like melting snow upon some craggy hill,
Drop, drop, drop, drop,[Fall down, fall down, fall down,]
Since nature's[summer’s] pride is, now, a withered daffodil.