[1274] The Time I've Lost in Wooing

I've just realised that we have not run a single poem by Thomas Moore! So
here's another glaring omission rectified...

The time I've lost in wooing,
In watching and pursuing
The light, that lies
In woman's eyes,
Has been my heart's undoing.
Though Wisdom oft has sought me,
I scorn'd the lore she brought me,
My only books
Were woman's looks,
And folly's all they've taught me.

Her smile when Beauty granted,
I hung with gaze enchanted,
Like him, the sprite,
Whom maids by night
Oft meet in glen that's haunted.
Like him, too, Beauty won me,
But while her eyes were on me,
If once their ray
Was turn'd away,
Oh! winds could not outrun me.

And are those follies going?
And is my proud heart growing
Too cold or wise
For brilliant eyes
Again to set it glowing?
No, vain, alas! th' endeavour
From bonds so sweet to sever;
Poor Wisdom's chance
Against a glance
Is now as weak as ever.

 	-- Thomas Moore

Note: Moore wrote these words to an old Irish air, "Pease Upon a Trencher"

I like today's poem both for its musicality - it scarcely needs a footnote
to realise that it is a song rather than a poem - and for its unabashed lack
of seriousness (in the sense of lightness rather than silliness). It reminds
me of Millay's

   And put a ribbon on my my hair
   To please a passing lad,
   And, "One thing there's no getting by --
   I've been a wicked girl," said I:
   "But if I can't be sorry, why,
   I might as well be glad

though, of course, Moore's narrator espoused a far more 'acceptable'
viewpoint than Millay's.

The viewpoint itself is thoroughly trite, and it is only the beauty of the
words that redeems the banality of the sentiment, but this they do a more
than adequate job of. In particular, songs often follow a different set of
conventions from 'pure' poetry, and today's piece falls well within those
conventions.

Incidentally, Herrick's "Night Piece, To Julia" scans almost precisely to
today's song - I wonder if Herrick had the same tune in mind, or whether
it's just an easily-hit-upon pattern. Interestingly enough, my comment on
the former

  Another of those wonderfully musical poems the rhythm of which sticks in
  my mind long after the words have faded.

proved itself true - I hadn't thought of Herrick's poem in ages, but the
rhythms of today's piece instantly recalled it.

martin

Links:

  There's a MIDI file here: http://www.contemplator.com/folk5/wooing.html

  Biography: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/tmoore.htm

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM).
http://calendar.yahoo.com

[this poem is archived, accessible and awaiting your comments at]
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1274.html
To subscribe, send a blank mail to <minstrels-subscribe@>.

From: Richard_Moore@

Isn't it "to sweet to sever" ?

Richard K. Moore, Librarian
http://www.ocde.k12.ca.us/library

From: "John K. Taber" <jktaber@>

A very nice selection, and very nice comments.

I think it is delicious that the speaker pretends to be complaining. 
Hah! 

John K. Taber

From: Martin DeMello <martindemello@>

--- Richard_Moore@ wrote:
> Isn't it "to sweet to sever" ?

Right you are - well, "so sweet to sever". Shall fix it post haste. (The ironic
thing is, the site I read the poem on had it perfectly right, and I decided to
paste in the UToronto version instead as being least likely to have a typo.
I've passed the correction on to them too).

martin