A most excellent Song of the love of young Palmus, and faire Sheldra, with their
unfortunate love. To the tune of Shackley bay.
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YOung Palmus was a Ferriman,
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whom Sheldra faire did love:
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At Shackley where her sheep did graze,
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she there his thoughts did prove.
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But he unkindly stole away,
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and left his love at Shackley-hay.
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Fa la la, fa, la la la la.
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So loud at Shackley did she cry,
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the woods resound at Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, fa, la la la la.
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But all in vaine she did complaine,
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for nothing could him move:
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Till wind did turne him backe againe,
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and brought him to his love.
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When she saw him thus turnd by fate,
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She turnd her love to mortall hate.
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Fa la la, etc.
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Then weeping to her did he say,
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Ile live with thee at Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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No, no, (quoth she) I thee deny,
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my love thou once didst scorne,
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And my prayers wouldst not heare,
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but left me here forlorne:
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And now being turnd by fate of wind,
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Thou thinkst to win me to thy mind.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Go, go, farewell I thee denay,
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Thou shalt not live at Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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If that thou dost my love disdaine,
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because I live on seas,
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Or that I am a Ferry-man,
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my Sheldra doth displease:
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I will no more in that estate,
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Be servile unto wind and fate,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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But quite forsake Boats, Oares & Sea,
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And live with thee at Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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My Sheldras bed shall be my Boat,
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her armes shall be my Oares,
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where love in stead of stormes shal float
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on pleasant downes and shores:
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Her sweetest breath my gentle gale,
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Through tides of love to drive my saile
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Her looke my praise and she my joy,
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To live with me at Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Not Phao shall with me compare,
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so fortunate to prove:
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Faire Venus never was his fare,
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Ile beare the Queene of love:
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The working waters never feare
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For Cupids selfe our Barge shall steere
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Fa, la la etc.
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And to the shore I still will cry,
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My Sheldra comes to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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To strew my Boate for thy availe,
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Ile rob the flowrie shores,
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And whilst thou guidst the silken saile,
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Ile row with silver Oares:
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And as upon the streams we float,
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A thousand Swans shal guide our boat.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And to the shore still will I cry,
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My Sheldra comes to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And have a story painted there,
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wherein there shall be seene,
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How Sapho lovd a Ferriman,
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being a learned Queene:
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In golden letters shall be writ,
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How well in love himselfe he quit,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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That all the Lasses still shall cry,
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With Palmus weele to Shackley hay
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And walking easily to the Strand,
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weele angle in the brooke,
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And fish with thy white-lilly hand,
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thou needst no other booke,
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To which the fish shall soone be brought
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& strive which shall the first be caught.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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A thousand pleasures will we try,
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As we doe row to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And if we be opprest with heate
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in mid-time of the day,
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Under the Willowes tall and great,
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shall be our quiet bay,
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Where I wil make thee fans of bowes,
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From Phoebus beames to shade thy browes,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And cause them at the Ferry cry,
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A boat, a boat to Shackley-hay
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Fa, la la etc.
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A troupe of dainty neighboring girles,
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shall dance along the strand,
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Upon the gravell all of pearles,
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to wait when thou shalt land,
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And cast themselves about thee round,
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Whilst thou with garlands shalt be crownd,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And all the shepheards with joy sh[all] cry
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O Sheldray is come to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Although I did my selfe absent,
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twas but to try thy mind:
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But now thou maist thy selfe repent,
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for being so unkind:
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For now thou art turnd by wind & fate
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In stead of love t[h] hast purchast hate.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Wherefore returne thee to the Sea,
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And bid farwell to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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The second part to the same tune.
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THus all in vaine he did complaine,
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and no remorce could find:
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Young Palmus through his owne disdaine
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made Sheldra faire unkind:
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And she is from him fled and gone,
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He laid him in his boat alone,
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Fa, la la. etc.
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And so betook him to the Sea,
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And bade farewell to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Then from the happy sandy shore,
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into the floating waves,
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His vessell fraught with brinish teares,
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into the maine hee laves.
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But all in vaine, for why he still
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With weeping eyes his boat did fill,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And lancht his boat into the sea,
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And bade farewell to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Now farwell to my Sheldra faire,
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whom I no more shall see:
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I meane to leave my life at sea,
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by thy unconstancy.
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Come Neptune, come to thee I cry,
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With thee Ile live, with thee Ile dye.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Thus he lancht himselfe into the sea,
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And bade farewell to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la etc.
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But farre from thence he had not gone,
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ere Sheldra faire returned,
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Whose heart kind pitye made to moane,
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such passion in her burned:
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But when she to that place arrivd,
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She found the shore from him deprivd.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And her deare Palmus now at sea,
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Had bade farwell to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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She then with bitter sighes complaind,
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her griefe did so abound:
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Oft grieving that she him disdaind,
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whom he so loving found:
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But now (alas) twas all in vaine,
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For he was gone by her disdayne.
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Fa, la la etc.
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Leaving that place to her alone,
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Who now laments that he is gone.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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O wreched Sheldra, then, quoth she,
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confesse what fond disdayne,
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Hath wrath caused to fall on thee:
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could this long suffering-paine,
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By thee (alas) so soone forgot,
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Servd to thy loves strange hatefull lot.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And thus to lye, and for him crie,
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Whom thou so fondly didst deny.
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Fa, la la, fa, la la la la.
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Who once did truly love, I see,
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shall never after hate
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As doth too well appeare by me,
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in my forsaken state.
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Alas, I meant my scorne to prove,
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By onely tryall of his love.
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Fa la la, fa, la la la la.
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Now haplesse me, since I doe see,
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He hath forsaken wofull me,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Thus all this while in roughest seas,
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poore Palmus boat was tost:
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But more his mind with his disease,
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because he Sheldra lost.
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In mids of this, he her forswears,
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He rent his boat and tore his haires.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Threw hope away, for he alas,
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Could be no more drownd then he was.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Even as his griefe had swallowed him,
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so strove the greedy waves:
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About his boat and ore the brim,
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each lofty billow raves:
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There is no trust to swelling powers,
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That what it may it still devoures,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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But by the breach the seas might see,
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The boat felt more the rage then hee.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Thus wrackt and scatterd was their state
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while he in quiet swomme:
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Through liquid paths to Thetis gate
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by soft degrees went downe
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Whom when the Nymphs beheld, the Girles,
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Soone layd aside their sorting pearles.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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And up they heavd him as a guest,
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Unlookt for now come to their feast,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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His case they pittied: but when they
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beheld his face right faine,
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For very love, into the sea,
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they pulld him backe againe:
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So were they with his beauty movd,
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For what is faire is soone belovd.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Thus with Nimphs he lives in the sea,
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That left his love at Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, etc.
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Then Sheldra faire to Shackley went,
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to end her wofull dayes,
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Because young Palmus cast himselfe
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into the floating Seas.
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At Shackley-hay did fayre Sheldra dye,
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And Palmus in the sea doth lye,
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Fa, la la, etc.
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So as they livd so did they dye,
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And bade farewell to Shackley-hay.
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Fa, la la, fa, la la la la
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