Benjamin Britten: A Charm of Lullabies, Op. 41 (Francesca Erni, Christos Marinos)

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
A Charm of Lullabies, Op. 41

00:11 A Cradle Song (William Blake)
02:24 The Highland Balou (Robert Burns)
04:21 Sephestia's Lullaby (Robert Greene)
06:19 A Charm (Thomas Randolph)
07:51 The Nurse's Song (John Philip)

Francesca Erni, mezzo-soprano

Provincetown Playhouse
New York, U.S.A.
May 11, 2014

William Blake (1757-1827)

Sleep, sleep, beauty bright,
Dreaming o’er the joys of night;
Sleep, sleep, in thy sleep
Little sorrows sit and weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face
Soft desires I can trace,
Secret joys and secret smiles,
Little pretty infant wiles.

O! the cunning wiles that creep
In thy little heart asleep.
When thy little heart does wake
Then the dreadful lightnings break,

From thy cheek and from thy eye,
O’er the youthful harvests nigh.
Infant wiles and infant smiles
Heaven and Earth of peace beguiles.

Robert Burns (1759-1796)

Hee Balou, my sweet wee Donald,
Picture o’ the great Clanronald!
Brawlie kens our wanton Chief
What gat my young Highland thief.

Leeze me on thy bonnie craigie!
And thou live, thou’ll steal a naigie,
Travel the country thro’ and thro’,
And bring hame a Carlisle cow!

Thro’ the Lawlands, o’er the Border,
Weel, my babie, may thou furder!
Herry the louns o’ the laigh Countrie,
Syne to the Highlands hame to me!

Robert Greene (1558-1592)

Weep not, my wanton, smile upon my knee;
When thou art old there’s grief enough for thee.
Mother’s wag, pretty boy,
Father’s sorrow, father’s joy;
When thy father first did see
Such a boy by him and me,
He was glad, I was woe;
Fortune changed made him so,
When he left his pretty boy,
Last his sorrow, first his joy.

Weep not, my wanton, smile upon my knee;
When thou art old there’s grief enough for thee.
The wanton smiled, father wept,
Mother cried, baby leapt;
More he crow’d, more we cried,
Nature could not sorrow hide:
He must go, he must kiss
Child and mother, baby bliss,
For he left his pretty boy,
Father’s sorrow, father’s joy.
Weep not, my wanton, smile upon my knee,
When thou art old there’s grief enough for thee.

Thomas Randolph (1605-1635)

Quiet sleep!
Or I will make
Erinnys whip thee with a snake,
And cruel Rhadamanthus take
Thy body to the boiling lake,
Where fire and brimstone never slake;
Thy heart shall burn, thy head shall ache,
And ev’ry joint about thee quake;
And therefore dare not yet to wake!
Quiet, sleep!
Quiet, sleep!
Quiet!

Quiet sleep!
Or thou shalt see
The horrid hags of Tartary,
Whose tresses ugly serpents be,
And Cerberus shall bark at thee,
And all the Furies that are three
The worst is called Tisiphone,
Shall lash thee to eternity;
And therefore sleep thou peacefully
Quiet, sleep!
Quiet, sleep!
Quiet!

John Philip (1631-1706)

Lullaby baby,
Lullaby baby,
Thy nurse will tend thee as duly as may be.
Lullaby baby!

Be still, my sweet sweeting, no longer do cry;
Sing lullaby baby, lullaby baby.
Let dolours be fleeting, I fancy thee, I,
To rock and to lull thee I will not delay me.

Lullaby baby,
Lullaby baby,
Thy nurse will tend thee as duly as may be
Lullaby baby.

The gods be thy shield and comfort in need!
The gods be thy shield and comfort in need!
Sing lullaby baby,
Lullaby baby.

They give thee good fortune and well for to speed,
And this to desire… I will not delay me.
This to desire… I will not delay me.

Lullaby baby,
Lullaby baby,
Thy nurse will tend thee as duly as may be.
Lullaby baby.