A most Excellent Song of the love of young Palmus, and fair Sheldra.
To the Tune of, Shackley-hey.
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YOung Palmus was a Ferry-man
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whom Sheldra fair did love,
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At Shackly 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-hey,
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fa la, fa la la la.
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So loud at Shackley did she cry,
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The words resound at Shackley hey,
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fa la, fa la la la.
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But all in vain she did complain,
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for nothing did him move,
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Till wind did turn him back again,
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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 mortal hate,
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fa la, etc.
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Then weeping to himself did say,
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Il live with thee at Shackley-hey.
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fa la, etc.
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No no, quoth she, I thee deny,
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my love thou once did scorn,
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And my prayers wouldst not hear,
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but left me here forlorn.
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But now being turnd by fate of wind,
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Thou thinkst to win me to thy minde,
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fa la, etc.
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Go, go, farewel I thee edeny,
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Thou shalt not live at Sheckley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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If thou dost my love disdain
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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 subject unto wind and fate,
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fa la, etc.
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But quite forsake both Oars and Sea,
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And live with thee at Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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My Sheldras Bed shall be my Boat,
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her arms shall be my Oars,
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Where love instead of storms shall float,
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on pleasant Downs and Shores,
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Her sweet breath my pleasant gale,
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Through tides of love to guide my sayl,
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fa, la, etc.
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Her love my praise, she is my joy,
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To live with me at Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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Nor Titan shall with me compare,
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so fortunate to prove,
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Fair Venus never was his Peer,
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il bear the Queen of Love,
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The working water never fear,
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For Cupids self our Barge shall steer,
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fa la etc.
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And to the shoar I still will cry,
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My Sheldras come to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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To strew the Boat for thy avail,
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il rob the flowry shoars,
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And whilst thou guidst the silken sail,
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il row with golden Oars,
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And as upon the Seas we float,
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A thousand Swans shall guide the boat,
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fa la, etc.
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And to the shoar I still will cry,
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My Sheldra comes to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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And have a story painted there,
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whereon there may be seen,
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How Sopho lovd a Ferry-man,
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being a learned Queen,
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In golden Letters shall be writ,
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How well in love himself he quit,
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fa la, etc.
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Then all the Lasses still shall say,
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With Palmus wel to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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And walking easily to the Strand,
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wel angle in the Brook,
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And fish with the white Lilly wand,
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thou knowst no other hook:
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To which the fish shall soon be brought
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And strive which shall the first be caught,
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fa la, etc.
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A thousand pleasures we will try,
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As we walk on to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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And if we be opprest with heat,
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in the mid time of the day,
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Under the willows tall and great,
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shall be our quiet bay:
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Where I will make thee fans of bows,
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From Phaebus beams to shade thy brows
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fa la, etc.
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And cause them at the Ferry cry,
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My Sheldia comes to Shackley-hey,
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fa la. etc.
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A troop of dainty neighbouring girls,
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shall dance along the Strand,
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Upon the gravel all of Pearls,
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to wait when thou shalt land,
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And cast themselves upon the ground,
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Whilst thou with Garland shalt be crown.d,
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fa la, etc.
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And Shepheards all with joy shall say,
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See Sheldra comes to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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ALthough I did my self absent,
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twas but to try thy minde,
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But now thou mayst thy self absent,
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for being so unkinde,
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For now thourt turnd by wind and fate,
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Instead of love thou purchast hate,
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fa la, etc.
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Therefore return thee to the Sea,
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And bid farewel to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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Then all in vain she did complain,
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and no remorce could finde,
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Young Palmus through his own disdain
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made fair Sheldra unkinde:
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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, etc.
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And so betook him to the Sea,
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And bad farewel to Shackley-hey,
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fa 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 Vessel fraught with brinish tears,
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into the main he laves,
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But all in vain, for why he still
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With weeping eyes his Boat did fill,
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fa la, etc.
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And launcht himself into the Sea,
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And bad farewel to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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Now farewel to my Sheldra fair,
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whom I no more shall see,
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I mean to lead my life at Sea,
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by thy inconstancy,
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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, etc.
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Then launcht himself into the Sea,
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And bad farewel to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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But far from thence he had not gone
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ere Sheldra fair returned,
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Whose kinde pitty made me moan,
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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 of him deprivd,
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fa la, etc.
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And hed dear Palmus now at Sea,
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Had bid farewel to Shackley-hey,
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fa la, etc.
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She then with bitter sighs complaind,
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her grief did so abound,
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Oft grieved that she him disdaind,
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whom she so loving found;
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But now alas twas all in vain,
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For he was gone by her disdain,
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fa 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, etc.
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O wretched Sheldra then quoth she,
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confess what fond disdain
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Hath wrath caused to fall en thee,
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by this long-suffering pain:
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By thee alas so soon forgot,
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Serve to thy loves strange hateful lot.
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fa la, etc.
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And thus to lye and for him cry,
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Whom thou so fondly didst deny,
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fa la, etc.
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Who once did truly love I see
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will ever after hate,
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As doth too well appear by me
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in my forsaken state:
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Alas my scorn I mean to prove
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By only tryal of thy love;
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fa la, etc.
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Now haplesse me, for I do see
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He hath forsaken woful me;
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fa la, etc.
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Thus all the while in roughest Seas
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poor Palmus Boat was tost;
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But more ins minde this did disease
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because his Sheldras lost;
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In midst of this he her forswears,
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He rent his coat and tore his hair;
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fa la, etc.
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Threw hope away, for he alas
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Could be no more drownd than he was;
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fa la, etc.
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Even as his grief had swallowed him
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so did the greedy waves,
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About his boat and ore the brim,
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each billow swiftly raves:
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There is no trust to swelling powers
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That what it may it still devours;
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fa la, etc.
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And the breach the Seas may see
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The Boat felt more the rage than he;
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fa la, etc.
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Thus wrackt and scattered in the state,
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while he in quiet swam,
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Through liquid paths to Thetis gate
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by soft degree went down,
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Whom when the Nimps beheld the girls
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Soon laid aside their sporting pearls
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fa la, etc.
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And up they heavd him as a guest,
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Unlookt for now come to the feast,
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fa la, etc.
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His case they pittied, but when they
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beheld his face right fain.
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For very love into the Sea
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they puld him back again:
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So were they with his beauty movd,
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For what is fair is soon belovd:
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fa la, etc.
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Then with the Nymphs he lives in Sea
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That left his Love at Shackley-hey;
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fa la, etc.
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Then Sheldra fair to Shackley went
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to end her woful daies,
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Because young Palmus cast himself
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into the floating Seas,
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At Shackley did fair Sheldra dye,
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Young Palmus in the Seas doth lye,
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fa la, etc.
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So as they livd so did they dye,
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And bad farewel to Shackley-hey;
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fa la, etc.
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