Poem by William Schwenck Gilbert

Songs of a Savoyard. The Fairy Queen’s Song

Oh, foolish fay,
   Think you because
Man’s brave array
   My bosom thaws
I’d disobey
   Our fairy laws?
Because I fly
   In realms above,
In tendency
   To fall in love
Resemble I
   The amorous dove?

         Oh, amorous dove!
            Type of Ovidius Naso!
               This heart of mine
               Is soft as thine,
            Although I dare not say so!

On fire that glows
   With heat intense
I turn the hose
   Of Common Sense,
And out it goes
   At small expense!
We must maintain
   Our fairy law;
That is the main
   On which to draw—
In that we gain
   A Captain Shaw.

         Oh, Captain Shaw!
            Type of true love kept under!
               Could thy Brigade
               With cold cascade
            Quench my great love, I wonder!

1. The Bab Ballads. Sir Macklin
2. The Bab Ballads. Thomas Winterbottom Hance
3. The Bab Ballads. General John
4. The Bab Ballads. The Troubadour
5. The Bab Ballads. To the Terrestrial Globe

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