This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Come away, death
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Come away, death by Norman O’Neill — Lyrics
Twelfth Night
Act II. Scene 4
Come away, come away, death,
And in sad cypress let me be laid;
Fly away, fly away, breath,
I am slain by a fair cruel maid.
My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,
O prepare it;
My part of death, no one so true,
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About Come away, death
These words are drawn from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, where they are sung to Feste the clown in a moment of profound melancholy. The text speaks of a lover’s death and burial, a desire for a stark and unadorned funeral, and the wish to be hidden from all who might grieve. Norman O’Neill sets this poignant text for SATB choir, drawing out the sorrowful atmosphere. The English lyrics express a longing for an end to suffering, a desire for oblivion, and a plea that no one should mourn the passing of the ‘slain’ lover.
