At heaven’s gate

Hark! hark! the lark, Cloten’s song in Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline, King of Britain (c1609), act 2, scene 3. Emma Kirkby, soprano; Anthony Rooley, lute.

Hark! hark! the lark at heaven’s gate sings,
And Phoebus ’gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs
On chalic’d flowers that lies;
And winking Mary-buds begin
To ope their golden eyes;
With everything that pretty is,
My lady sweet, arise:
Arise, arise!

This setting of Hark! hark! the lark survives in a music manuscript owned by the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford (MS Don. c.57, f. 40^v), and has been attributed to Robert Johnson (c1583 - 1633). Johnson became lutenist to king James I in 1604 and was closely associated with Shakespeare’s company, to which he provided songs for various plays including The Winter’s Tale (1610) and The Tempest (1611).