This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Dash the wine cup away!
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Dash the wine cup away! by Edward Roberts — Lyrics
Dash the wine cup away! though its sparkle shall be
More bright than the gems that lie hid in the sea;
For a syren unseen, by thine eye, lurketh there,
Who would lure thee thro’ pleasure to woe and despair.
Then dash, dash the wine cup, ’tis death to delay,
Be a man, while you can, dash the wine cup away.
Wherever the cup of confusion is poured,
In the cellar of Want or at Luxury’s board,
From palace and cottage, from hovel and hall,
A wail goeth up to the Father of all!
Then dash, dash the wine cup, ’tis death to delay,
Be a man, while you can, dash the wine cup away.
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About Dash the wine cup away!
This stirring secular partsong for SATB voices is a powerful call to resist temptation. The text warns against the allure of pleasure, personified as a siren, that can lead to ruin. It describes how the "cup of confusion" brings despair from the grandest palace to the humblest hovel. The music urges the listener to "rally" and push back against this destructive force. Edward Roberts's setting, in English, would be an excellent choice for a concert programme needing a piece with a strong message and dramatic impact.
