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(A Song from Merry Drollery, 1691)
MY Mistress is in Music passing skillful, | |
| And Plays and sings her part at the first sight, | |
| But in her play she is exceeding willful, | |
| And will not play but for her own delight, | |
| Nor touch one string, nor play one pleasing strain, | 5 |
| Unless you take her in a pleasing vein. | |
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| Also she hath a sweet delicious touch | |
| Upon the Instrument whereon she plays, | |
| And thinks that she doth never do too much, | |
| Her pleasures are dispers’d so many ways; | 10 |
| She hath such Judgement both in time and mood, | |
| That for to play with her ’twill do you good. | |
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| And then you win her heart: but here’s the spite, | |
| You cannot get her for to play alone, | |
| But play with her, and she will play all night, | 15 |
| And next day too, or else ’tis ten to one, | |
| And run division with you in such sort, | |
| Run ne’er so swift she’ll make you come too short. | |
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| Still so she sent for me one day to play, | |
| Which I did take for such exceeding grace, | 20 |
| But she so tired me ere I went away: | |
| I wished I had been in another place: | |
| She knew the play much better than I did, | |
| And still she kept me time for heart and blood. | |
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| I love my mistress, and I love to play, | 25 |
| So she will let me play with intermission: | |
| But when she ties me to it all the day, | |
| I hate and loath her greedy disposition; | |
| Let her keep time, as nature doth require, | |
| And I will play as much as she’ll desire. | 30 |
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