Lyr Req: Sabrina Fair (Milton)

Subject: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 03:00 PM

Very British - something like Sabrina Fair, listen where Thou art sitting, under the glassy green translucent waves (something something) dripping (something else) Thine amber-dropping hair... came to me upon reading the Lorelei request, I think it's about a mermaid. It was the convocation to the mermaids in Wet Magic, if anyone remembers that lovely book... Also, has it ever been put to music, and if not, anybody up to the Tune Challenge once we get the words?

Subject: Lyr Add: SABRINA FAIR (Milton)
From: MMario
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 03:19 PM


SABRINA FAIR
(Milton)

Listen where thou art sitting
Under the glassie, cool, translucent wave,
In twisted braids of Lillies knitting
The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair,
Listen for dear honour's sake,
Goddess of the silver lake,
Listen and save!

Listen and appear to us,
In name of great Oceanus,
By the earth-shaking Neptune's mace,
And Tethys grave majestick pace,
By hoary Nereus wrincled look,
And the Carpathian wisards hook,
By scaly Tritons winding shell,
And old sooth-saying Glaucus spell,
By Leucothea's lovely hands,
And her son that rules the strands,
By Thetis tinsel-slipper'd feet,
And the Songs of Sirens sweet,
By dead Parthenope's dear tomb,
And fair Ligea's golden comb,
Wherwith she sits on diamond rocks
Sleeking her soft alluring locks,
By all the Nymphs that nightly dance
Upon thy streams with wily glance,
Rise, rise, and heave thy rosie head
From thy coral-pav'n bed,
And bridle in thy headlong wave,
Till thou our summons answered have.
Listen and save!

By the rushy-fringèd bank,
Where grows the Willow and the Osier dank,
My sliding Chariot stayes,
Thick set with Agat, and the azurn sheen
Of Turkis blew, and Emrauld green
That in the channell strayes,
Whilst from off the waters fleet
Thus I set my printless feet
O're the Cowslips Velvet head,
That bends not as I tread,
Gentle swain at thy request
I am here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 16 Nov 01 - 10:41 AM

Sabrina Fair was written in 1634, as a part of Milton's masque  Comus;  Sabrina is no mere mermaid, but the tutelary goddess of the river Severn.  Henry Lawes wrote the original music, some of which can be seen at the Comus site.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 16 Nov 01 - 02:00 PM

Wow, no wonder I didn't remember it...! Thanks, both of you!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 16 Nov 01 - 02:33 PM

I've made a midi from Lawes' manuscript notation as available at the site I linked to above; it isn't all that easy to read, but I don't think I've made any obvious mistakes.  The lyric set is as follows:

Sabrina, Sabrina fair,
Listen where thou art sitting
Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave,
In twisted braids of Lillies knitting
The loose train of thy amber dropping hair,
Listen for dear honour's sake,
Goddess of the silver lake,
Listen, listen and save!

Sabrina Fair (midi)

Whether or not the setting for the rest of the song is different, I have no idea.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: GUEST,Me.
Date: 10 Aug 04 - 02:01 PM

Funny, that same excerpt was in the movie "Sabrina" in 1995 or 1996. Julia Ormond quoted it to Harrison Ford while on a jet-plane, explaining why she was named "Sabrina." She said "It was about a water sprite that saved a virgin from a life worse than death." What do you all think?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: GUEST,Beeoriginal
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 02:07 PM

The River Severn previously mentioned runs through the city of Worcester. There is a plaque on the river wall which has this passage:

"An Ancient legend, with origins in the Twelfth Century, tells of an illicit love affair. The tale ends tragically with the drowning of a young nymph, Sabrina (Or Sabern), The river is said to be named after her."

Sabrina is a Celtic Goddess of the River Severn.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: GUEST,Beeoriginal
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 02:24 PM

me again just found this webpage

Comus Renascence Editions

an interesting read hope the link works

Subject: really, what is the poem from "Sabrina"?
From:
Date: 09 Mar 05 - 10:43 AM

i do agree that it was a medieval piece which julia ormond quoted to harisson ford in the film "sabrina"... but i am not sure if it is the one written by milton...

well, is it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 09 Mar 05 - 09:11 PM

Of course it is the Milton/Lawes song. There is no "mediaeval" song; the Middle Ages ended long before the 17th century! The story on which the song is based may be older, but that's already been mentioned.

What exactly are you "agreeing" with?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Oct 05 - 07:11 AM

does anyone know exactly when she stops the quote? I mean how much of it does she says....where does she stop?

My name is Sabrina and I want to memorize what she said but don't have monye for the DVD...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sabrina Fair (Milton)
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 05 Nov 05 - 07:26 PM

She finishes after "amber-dropping hair". It was just on this afternoon . . .

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sabrina Fair (Milton)
From: GUEST,gsm
Date: 07 Nov 05 - 06:37 PM

funny that you should mention that it was on television this past weekend. my wife and I had our second girl on friday and had settled on evelyn grace for a name, although we were open to a less common middle name if we could think of one.   we had yet to fill out the birth certificate form when we caught the end of sabrina on tv. we both thought "fair... that's a cool middle name.." and 3 seconds later we had decided on Evelyn Fair instead.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Nov 06 - 05:16 PM

appreciate the poem

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Well a poem really: Sabrina Fair?
From: GUEST,James
Date: 20 Jul 07 - 08:19 AM

Is the poem 'Sabrina Fair' mentioned in the Audrey Hepburn film? I can't remember. It is pretty but sounds a bit kitchy for modern tastes, perhaps one could put it to music.Of course you cannot complain about Mlton. Did someone put it to music?
I think there was some other film about a girl with an unusual name, what was it? I think the one by Billy Wilder with Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper. What was it, Ariadne something like that. Coop was too old, however.

Harrison Ford was better than Humphrey Bogart, and not associated with so many gangster films, but both seemed a bit old for Sabrina, except of course that they were rich, which makes people seem younger, I guess.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sabrina Fair (Milton)
From: GUEST,Iris Hirideyo
Date: 07 Jun 08 - 07:48 PM

Yes, that was Love in the afternoon, another great Audrey Hepburn movie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sabrina Fair (Milton)
From: Darowyn
Date: 08 Jun 08 - 05:18 AM

Isn't it revealing of the 17th Century attitude to folklore that the British legend of Sabrina should be totally wrapped up in mythology from classical Greece?
Milton would clearly not have been one of the folk nationalists who turn up on Mudcat so regularly.
I work overlooking the Severn, and Amber is a very kind way of describing the colour, there are planty of overhanging willows though, especially on the Worcester to Gloucester stretch.
Cheers
Dave