The lyrics are adapted from a Renaissance poem, "And Would You See My Mistress' Face" by Thomas Campion (who willed his estate to Phillip Rosseter, which is why his name appears on some credits). The music is adapted from a song by British composer Martin Shaw (though I'm not sure which one.)
Comparing it to the original text (http://www.poetrynook.com/poem/and-would-you-see-my-mistress-face), there's four minor differences probably done for flow (changing "mistress'" to "lady's", and rearranging "envy of whom" to "whose envy", the "reneweth/pursueth" couplet at the end is changed to "renews/pursues"), and two major ones:
-The song drops the fourth stanza about "It is the face of death that smiles," and given how much they go for an eerie atmosphere with the interludes and the minor-key outro it's odd that they drop the most macabre verse.
-"It is fair beauty's freshest youth" is changed to "It is the outward face of youth".
The lyrics are adapted from a Renaissance poem, "And Would You See My Mistress' Face" by Thomas Campion (who willed his estate to Phillip Rosseter, which is why his name appears on some credits). The music is adapted from a song by British composer Martin Shaw (though I'm not sure which one.)
Comparing it to the original text (http://www.poetrynook.com/poem/and-would-you-see-my-mistress-face), there's four minor differences probably done for flow (changing "mistress'" to "lady's", and rearranging "envy of whom" to "whose envy", the "reneweth/pursueth" couplet at the end is changed to "renews/pursues"), and two major ones:
-The song drops the fourth stanza about "It is the face of death that smiles," and given how much they go for an eerie atmosphere with the interludes and the minor-key outro it's odd that they drop the most macabre verse. -"It is fair beauty's freshest youth" is changed to "It is the outward face of youth".