Thank you for the music: Love that dares not speak its name

When poets write about the idyllic life of shepherds, sleeping till noon, and making love in the meadows, I am forced to conclude that they have little or no practical experience of sheep herding; of getting up before sunrise to set out fresh water, of carting hay, of long nights spent in a freezing hut listening for the bleat of a ewe giving birth.

Such rosy dreams as they described were probably experienced, if at all, in the grounds of the home of whichever noble family they were guests. Making love on manicured grass, watching herds of sheep in the distance, tended by peasants. And relatively untroubled by the carnivorous insects repulsed by a carefully prepared pomander. Pennyroyal and fennel to help deter fleas and cedarwood and willow herb to discourage gnats.

Shakespeare had his "Dark Lady", and I have my Beloved. Like Scribbling Bill, I shall keep her anonymous to spare her blushes, but I wonder if she knows that she is the sun that lights my days, and the moon that comforts my darkest nights? If I have to spend time away from her as I search out the musical jewels buried in time, it is always to her that I return. To you, my beloved, I dedicate this song, originally written by Dr.Campian of London (after the classical poet, Catullus' example). X:29 T:My Sweetest Lesbia % title C:Thomas Campion %(or Campian) O:A Booke of Ayres for Voyce and Lute % origin. M:3/4 % meter L:1/8 % length of shortest note Q:90 % tempo V:V clef=treble name="Voice" sname="Vc." V:P1 clef=treble name="Piano" sname="Pno." V:P2 V:P3 clef=bass V:P4 clef=bass %%staves V {(P1 P2) (P3 P4)} K:G % key [V:V] z6 | z6 | G G A B2 A |\ w:My sweet-est Les-bia, w:If all would live their w:When time-ly death my [V:P1] GGA B2 c | d>c B2 A/G/G/^F/ | GBA G>GF |\ [V:P2] B,2 F D2 G | D2 DG/=F/ EA, | B,2 D B,2 A, |\ [V:P3] g2 d g2 e | f2 g2 cd | g2 f g2 d |\ [V:P4] z6 | z6 | z6 |\ % [V:V] c c c B A2 | d d c B2 A |\ w:let us live and love. And, though the sa-ger w:lives in love like me, Then blood-y swords and w:life and for-tune ends, Let not my hearse be [V:P1] [EC]2 [AC][GB,] [^FA,]2 | B/c/de/f/ g>gf |\ [V:P2] Z | z2 c B2 A |\ [V:P3] c2 =fg d2 | gba g2 d' |\ [V:P4] z6 | z6 |\ % [V:V] c2 c B>c d | A2 z A A G | F2 D |\ w:sort our deeds re--prove, Let us not weigh them. w:ar-mour should not be. No drum nor trum-pet w:vexed with mourn-ing* friends. But let all lov-ers, [V:P1] e2 c B>AB | A2 z c/B/ AG | F2 z |\ [V:P2] z E/=F/G/A/ D3 | z ^F2 z z B,/^C/ | D2 z |\ [V:P3] c'c/d/e/=f/ g2 G | d2 d'a/g/ fe | d2 z |\ [V:P4] z6 | z6 | z3 |\ % [V:V] d2 c B2 A | G2 B2 A G | F2 G |\ w:Heaven's great lamps do dive in-to their west, and w:peace-ful sleeps should move, un-less a-larm came w:rich in tri-umph, come and with sweet pas-times [V:P1] A>G E/F/ [GB,]2 [FA,] | [EG,]2 DG ^FG | F z/ D/B/c/ |\ [V:P2] F/E/DC z2 z | z2 B,2 DB,/C/ | A, z3 |\ [V:P3] d'/=c'/ba g2 d | e>=f g2 de | d2 e |\ [V:P4] z6 | z6 | z3 |\ % [V:V] A2 d2 c A | B2 z | B B c d2 B |\ w:straight a-gain re-vive. But soon as once set w:from the camp of Love. But fools do live, and w:grace my hap-py tomb. And, Les-bia, close thou [V:P1] d>c B2 A/G/G/^F/ | [GB,]2 z | G2 A B>A G |\ [V:P2] D2 DG/=F/ EA, | z3 | B,DE D2 B, |\ [V:P3] f2 g2 cd | g2 G | g2 c g2 G |\ [V:P4] z6 | z3 | z6 |\ % [V:V] c2 e2 c d | B2 z | G B c d2 B |\ w:is our lit-tle light, then must we sleep one w:waste their lit-tle light, and seek with pain their w:up my lit-tle light, and crown with love my [V:P1] GA/B/ c3 d | B z/ D/d/c/ | B>A G d2 B |\ [V:P2] E2 EGAF | G z2 | D2 E F2 G |\ [V:P3] c2 c'2 ad' | g2 z | g2 e d2 g |\ [V:P4] z6 | z3 | z6 |\ % [V:V] d2 A2 c B | A2 c4 B2 A2 A2 | G8 |] w:ev-er-dur-ing night, ev-er-dur-ing night. w:ev-er-dur-ing night, ev-er-dur-ing night. w:ev-er-dur-ing night, ev-er-dur-ing night. [V:P1] A2 d2 AG | F2 c4 B2 A2 A2 | G8 |] [V:P2] F3 DED | A,2 [GE]2 F2 G2 GF/E/ F2 | D8 |] [V:P3] d4 cG | d2 c2 d4 d4 | [dG]8 |] [V:P4] z6 | z4 d'abc' d'3 c' | b8 |] %