by Edmund Spenser (1552 - 1599)
Sweet is the Rose, but growes vpon a...
Language: English
Sweet is the Rose, but growes vpon a brere; Sweet is the Iunipere, but sharpe his bough; sweet is the Eglantine, but pricketh nere; sweet is the firbloome, but his braunches rough. Sweet is the Cypresse, but his rynd is tough, sweet is the nut, but bitter is his pill; sweet is the broome-flowre, but yet sowre enough; and sweet is Moly, but his root is ill. So euery sweet with soure is tempred still, that maketh it be coueted the more: for easie things that may be got at will, most sorts of men doe set but little store. Why then should I accoumpt of little paine, that endlesse pleasure shall vnto me gaine.
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Text Authorship:
- by Edmund Spenser (1552 - 1599), "Sonnet XXVI", appears in Amoretti and Epithalamion [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 Marc Blitzstein (1905 - 1964), "Sweet is the rose", published 1958 [ low voice, piano ], from Six Elizabethan Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2006-11-24
Line count: 14
Word count: 115