T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.
My Mistress Is in Music Passing Skillful
Anonymous(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. | |
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. | |
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. | |
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. | |
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 |