by Matthew Pilkington (c1701 - 1774)
Why, Lysidas, shou’d Man be vain
Language: English
Why, Lysidas, shou’d Man be vain, If bounteous heav’n has made him great? Why look, with insolent disdain, On those undeck’d with wealth and state? Can splendid robes, or beds of down, Or costly gems to deck the hair; Can all the glories of a crown, Give health, or smooth the brow of care? The sceptered prince, the burden’d slave, The humble and the haughty die, The poor, the rich, the base, the brave, In dust without distinction lye. Go, search the tombs where monarchs rest, Who once the richest glories wore, Fled is that grandeur they possess’t, And all their greatness is no more. So glides the meteor thro’ the sky, And sweeps along a gilded train. But when its short-liv’d beauties die, Dissolves to common air again.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Poems on Several Occasions by Matthew Pilkington, George Faulkner, Dublin, 1730. Pages 78-80.
Authorship:
- by Matthew Pilkington (c1701 - 1774), "Ode to Lysidas", George Faulkner, Dublin, first published 1730 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by William Hayes (1708 - 1777), "Why, Lysidas, should Man be vain?", published 1748 [ voice and continuo ], Verified with Six Cantatas Set to Musick by William Hayes Bac. Mus. Organist of Magd. Coll. and Professor in the University of Oxford, London 1748. [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2024-04-19
Line count: 20
Word count: 129