"Can she excuse my wrongs?" - Dowland

St John's church, Peterborough, 19th February 2022

Dowland Youth Works:
Cantus - Rachel Dawson
Alto - Sebastian Carrington
Tenor - Benjamin Staniforth, William Lewis
Bass - Fabian Tindale Geere

Dowland Works:
Cantus - Emma Kirkby, DBE
Alto - Clemmie Franks
Tenor - Michael Williams
Bass - Laurence Williams

Lute - Sam Brown

Music by John Dowland
Lyrics (anon. attrib. Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex)
Can shee excuse my wrongs with vertues cloake
Shall I call her good when she proves unkind
Are those cleere fiers which vanish into smoake
Must I praise the leaves where no fruit I find.
No no where shadowes do for bodies stand,
Thou maist be abusde if thy sight be dime.
Cold love is like to words written on sand,
Or to bubbles which on the water swim.
Wilt thou be thus abused still,
Seeing that she will right thee never,
If thou canst not ore come her will,
Thy love will be thus fruitles ever.

Was I so base that I might not aspire
Unto those high joyes which she houlds from me,
As they are high so high is my desire,
If she this deny what can granted be.
If she will yeeld to that which reason is,
It is reasons will that love should be just,
Deare make me happie still by granting this,
Or cut of delayes if that dye I must.
Better a thousand times to dye
Then for to live thus still tormented,
Deare but remember it was I
Who for thy sake did dye contented.