Copyright © 2004 by Paul Howarth
All Rights Reserved

[Maidens] Let the merry cymbals sound,
Gaily pipe Pandaean pleasure,
With a Daphnephoric bound
Tread a gay but classic measure,
Tread a gay but classic measure.
Ev'ry heart with hope is beating,
For, at this exciting meeting
Fickle Fortune will decide
Who shall be our Bunthorne's bride!

Ev'ry heart with hope is beating,
For, at this exciting meeting
Fickle Fortune will decide
Who shall be our Bunthorne's bride!

Let the merry cymbals sound,
Gaily pipe Pandaean pleasure,
With a Daphnephoric bound
Tread a gay but classic, classic measure,
Tread a gay but classic, classic measure,
A classic measure.

[Dragoons] Now tell us, we pray you,
Why thus they array you;
Oh, poet, how say you,
What is it you've done?

Now tell us, we pray you,
Why thus they array you;
Oh, poet, how say you,
What is it you've done?
Oh, poet, how say you,
What is it you've done?

[Duke] Of rite sacrificial,
By sentence judicial,
This seems the initial,
Then why don't you run?

[Colonel] They cannot have led you
To hang or behead you,
Nor may they all wed you,
Unfortunate one!

[Dragoons] Then tell us, we pray you,
Why thus they array you;
Oh, poet, how say you,
What is it you've done?

[Bunthorne] Heartbroken at my Patience's barbarity,
By the advice of my solicitor
In aid, in aid of a deserving charity,
I've put myself up to be raffled for!

[Maidens] By the advice of his solicitor,
He's put himself up to be raffled for!

[Dragoons] Oh, horror! urged by his solicitor,
He's put himself up to be raffled for!

[Maidens] Oh, heaven's blessing on his solicitor!

[Dragoons] A hideous curse on his solicitor!

[Maidens] Oh, heaven's blessing on his solicitor!

[Dragoons] A hideous curse on his solicitor!

[Maidens] A blessing

[Dragoons] A curse,

[All] on his solicitor!

[Colonel] Stay, we implore you,
Before our hopes are blighted;
You see before you
The men to whom you're plighted!

[Dragoons] Stay, we implore you,
For we adore you;
To us you're plighted
To be united.
Stay, we implore, we implore you!

[Duke] Your maiden hearts, ah, do not steel
To pity's eloquent appeal,
Such conduct British soldiers feel.
Sigh, sigh, all sigh!

To foeman's steel we rarely see
A British soldier bend the knee,
Yet, one and all, they kneel to ye.
Kneel, kneel, all kneel!

Our soldiers very seldom cry,
And yet I need not tell you why
A teardrop dews each martial eye!
Weep, weep, all weep!

[Chorus] Our/We soldiers very seldom cry,
And yet they/we need not tell us/you why

[Duke & Chorus] A teardrop dews each martial eye!
Weep, weep, all weep!

[Bunthorne] Come, walk up, and purchase with avidity,
Overcome your diffidence and natural timidity,
Tickets for the raffle should be purchased with avidity,
Put in half a guinea and a husband you may gain.
Such a judge of blueandwhite and other kinds of pottery,
From early Oriental down to modern terracottary,
Put in half a guinea, you may draw him in a lottery,
Such an opportunity may not occur again.

[Maidens] Such a judge of blueandwhite and other kinds of pottery,
From early Oriental down to modern terracottary,
Put in half a guinea, you may draw him in a lottery,
Such an opportunity may not occur again.

[Dragoons] We've been thrown over, we're aware
But we don't care, but we don't care!
There's fish in the sea, no doubt of it,
As good as ever came out of it,
And some day we shall get our share,
So we don't care, so we don't care!

[Bunthorne] And are you going a ticket for to buy?

[Jane] Most certainly I am; why shouldn't I?

[Bunthorne] Oh, Fortune, this is hard!
Blindfold your eyes;
Two minutes will decide who wins the prize!

[Maidens] Oh, Fortune, to my aching heart be kind;
Like us, thou art blindfolded, but not blind!
Just raise your bandage, thus, that you may see,
And give the prize, and give the prize to me!

[Bunthorne] Come, Lady Jane, I pray you draw the first!

[Jane] He loves me best!

[Bunthorne] I want to know the worst!

[Patience] Hold! Stay your hand!

[All] What means this interference?
Of this bold girl I pray you make a clearance!

[Jane] Away with you, away with you,
and to your milkpails go!

[Bunthorne] She wants a ticket! Take a dozen!

[Patience] No! If there be pardon in your breast
For this poor penitent,
Who with remorseful thought opprest,
Sincerely doth repent;
If you, with one so lowly, still
Desire to be allied,
Then you may take me, if you will,
For I will be your bride!

[Chorus] Oh, shameless one!
Oh, boldfaced thing!
Away you run;
Go, take your wing,
Oh, shameless one!
Oh, boldfaced thing!
Away you run;
Go, take your wing,
You shameless one!
You boldfaced thing!

[Bunthorne] How strong is love! For many and many a week,
She's loved me fondly, and has feared to speak
But Nature, for restraint too mighty far,
Has burst the bonds of Art, and here we are!

[Patience] No, Mister Bunthorne, no, you're wrong again;
Permit me, I'll endeavour to explain!

True love must singlehearted be:

[Bunthorne] Exactly so!

[Patience] From ev'ry selfish fancy free:

[Bunthorne] Exactly so!

[Patience] No idle thought of gain or joy
A maiden's fancy should employ;
True love must be without alloy,
True love must be without alloy.

[Men] Exactly so!

[Patience] Imposture to contempt must lead:

[Colonel] Exactly so!

[Patience] Blind vanity's dissension's seed:

[Major] Exactly so!

[Patience] It follows, then, a maiden who
Devotes herself to loving you
Is prompted by no selfish view,
Is prompted by no selfish view!

[Men] Exactly so!

[Saphir] Are you resolved to wed this shameless one?

[Angela] Is there no chance for any other?

[Bunthorne] None!

[Principal Maidens & Dragoons] I hear the soft note of the echoing voice
Of an old, old love, long dead.
It whispers my sorrowing heart "rejoice",
For the last sad tear is shed.
The pain that is all but a pleasure will change
For the pleasure that's all but pain,
And never, oh never, this heart will range
From that old, old love again!

[Chorus] Yes, the pain that is all but a pleasure will change
For the pleasure that's all but pain,
And never, oh never, this heart will range
From that old, old love again!

[Duke] Oh, never, oh never our hearts will range

[All] Oh, never, oh never, our hearts will range
From that old, old love again!

[Angela]But who is this, whose godlike grace
Proclaims he comes of noble race?
And who is this, whose manly face
Bears sorrow's interesting trace?

[Chorus] Yes, who is this, whose godlike grace
Proclaims he comes of noble race?

[Grosvenor] I am a brokenhearted troubadour,
Whose mind's aesthetic and whose tastes are pure!

[Angela] Aesthetic! He is aesthetic!

[Grosvenor] Yes, yes, I am aesthetic
And poetic!

[Maidens] Then, we love you!

[Dragoons] They love him! Horror!

[Bun. & Pa.] They love him! Horror!

[Grosvenor] They love me! Horror! Horror! Horror!

[Maidens] Oh, list while we a love confess
That words imperfectly express.
Those shelllike ears, ah, do not close
To blighted love's distracting woes!

[Maj. & Col.] My jealousy I can't express,
Their love they openly confess!
Their love they openly confess, confess!

[Ella, Saph. & Ang.] Oh, list while we a love confess
That words imperfectly express.
Those shelllike ears, ah, do not close
To love's distracting woes!
Thy shelllike ears, ah, do not close
To blighted loves's distracting woes!
Thy shelllike ears, ah, do not close
To blighted loves's distracting woes!
To love's, to love's distracting woes!
Love's woes!

By Arthur Sullivan
Generated by NoteWorthy Composer

Patience No. 9
Lyrics
Patience
Saphir
Jane/Angela
Duke
Maj/Bun/Gros
Colonel
Sopranos
Contraltos
Tenors
Basses
Right Hand
Left Hand
Tempo