The Yeomen of the Guard by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

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ACT I

No. 1: SONG (Phœbe)

"When maiden loves"

MIDI File [16KB, 3' 06"]

Orchestral Arrangement
MIDI File [24KB, 2' 24 "] Sequenced by George Pollen

SCENE: Tower Green. Phœbe discovered spinning.

Phœbe.

When maiden loves, she sits and sighs,
She wanders to and fro;
Unbidden tear-drops fill her eyes,
And to all questions she replies,
With a sad "Heigh-ho!"

'Tis but a little word — "Heigh-ho!"
So soft, 'tis scarcely heard — "Heigh-ho!"
An idle breath —
Yet life and death
May hang upon a maid's "Heigh-ho!"
An idle breath —
Yet life and death
May hang upon a maid's "Heigh-ho!"

Click on picture to enlarge — Marjorie Eyre as Phœbe, 1930s

When maiden loves, she mopes apart,
As owl mopes on a tree;
Although she keenly feels the smart,
She cannot tell what ails her heart,
With its sad "Ah, me!"

'Tis but a foolish sigh — "Ah, me!"
Born but to droop and die — "Ah, me!"
Yet all the sense
Of eloquence
Lies hidden in a maid's "Ah, me!"
Yet all the sense
Of eloquence
Lies hidden in a maid's "Ah, me!"
"Ah, me!", "Ah, me!"
Yet all the sense
Of eloquence
Lies hidden in a maid's "Ah, me!"

Phœbe weeps.

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