X:1
T:Songs of Shepherds
B:Sabine Baring Gould, Old English Songs from English Minstrelsie, 1895
F: http://www.folkinfo.org/songs
N:Tune is 'Hunting the Hare'
L:1/8     %
K:D
d2 D F G A |B e d c B c |
w:Songs of shep-herds in rus-ti-cal round-de-lays,
d2 D F G A |B e c d3 |
w:Form'd in fan-cy and whis-tled on reeds.
d2 D F G A |B g e c B c |
w:Sung to sol-ace young nymphs up-on ho-ly days,
d d D F G A |B e c d3 |
w:Are too un-worth-y for won-der-ful deeds;
f e d f e d |f e d f e
w:Sot-tish Si-le-nus to Phoe-bus the ge-nius,
d |e c d e c d |e/f/ g f e2
w:Was sent by dame Ve-nus a song_ to pre-pare;
d e | d D F G A |B g e c
w:In phrase nice-ly coin'd_ And verse quite re-fin'd
 B c |d2 D F G A |B e c d3 |]
w: How the states di-vine__ hunt-ed the hare.
     %End of file
W:Songs of Shepherds in rustical roundelays,
W:Formed in fancy and whistled on reeds,
W:Sung to solace young nymphs upon holy days,
W:Are too unworthy for wonderful deeds;
W:Sottish Silenus to Phoebus the genius,
W:Was sent by dame Venus a song to prepare;
W:In phrase nicely coin'd
W:And verse quite refin'd;
W:How the states divine hunted the hare.
W:
W:Stars quite tir'd with pastimes Olympical,
W:Stars and planets that beautiful shone,
W:Could no longer endure men only shall
W:Swim in pleasures and they but look on;
W:Round about horned Lueina they swarmed,
W:And her informed how minded they were,
W:And each god and goddess,
W:To take human bodies,
W:As lords and ladies to follow the hare.
W:
W:Light God Cupid was mounted on Pegasus
W:Drawn from the Muses by kisses and prayers;
W:Stern Alcides upon cloudy Caucasus,
W:Mounted a centaur that proudly him bears;
W:Postillion of the sky,
W:Light-heel'd Mercury,
W:Made his courser fly fleet as the air;
W:While tuneful Apollo
W:The chase did follow,
W:And whoop and hollow, boys, after the hare.
W:
W:Three brown bowls to the Olympical rector,
W:The Troy-born boy presents on his knee;
W:Jove to Phoebus carouses in nectar,
W:And Phoebus to Hermes, and Hermes to me;
W:Wherewith infused,
W:I piped and I mused,
W:In language unused, their sports to declare;
W:Till the house of Jove,
W:Like the Spheres did move;
W:Health to those who love hunting the hare.