Rose of Persia Song No. 24

Gilbert and Sullivan Archive
The Rose of Persia
Song No. 24

What does it mean?


CD 2	Track 7

MIDI File 13K, 2 min. 51 seconds.

Enter Rose-in-Bloom.

Dancing Sumbeam,:

What does it mean?

Blush-of-Morning:

What does it mean?

Blush-of-Morning, Dancing Sumbeam, and Yussuf:

What does it mean?

Yussuf:

Upon what hidden trap

Have I now stumbled?

Sunbeam:

One moment Queen

Then comes a thunderclap

Trio:

And I lie humbled!

Yussuf:

So surely swings the pendulum of Fate

That maketh joy and sorrow alternate.

Quartet: Blush-of-Morning, Dancing Sumbeam, Yussuf and A Royal Guard

Joy and sorrow alternate

Every hour that passeth by;

Till tomorrow Fickle Fate

May ordain you laugh or cry!

Till tomorrow Fickle Fate

May ordain, ordain you laugh or cry!

Joy and sorrow alternate

Every hour that passeth by;

Till tomorrow Fickle Fate

May ordain you laugh or cry!

Till tomorrow Fickle Fate

May ordain, ordain you laugh or cry!

So the clock that strikes the time

Rings at first a merry chime;

Blush Sunbeam and Yussuf Royal Guard

Then, to mock Then, to mock Then, to mock

the mar- the

the marriage riage bell, mar-

bell, Tolls Tolls a melan- riage bell,

choly Tolls a

a melancholy knell, a melan-

knell! Tolls me- choly, me-

a melancholy knell! lancholy knell! lancholy knell!

Blush	Sunbeam and Yussuf	Royal Guard
Then, to mock	Then, to mock	Then, to mock
	the mar-	the
the marriage	riage bell,	mar-
bell, Tolls	Tolls a melan-	riage bell,
	choly	Tolls a
a melancholy	knell, a	melan-
knell! Tolls	me-	choly, me-
a melancholy knell!	lancholy knell!	lancholy knell!

Quartet:

Or the melancholy gong

Tolls a solitary "Dong!"

A Dong, Dong, Dong!

Then you hear the joy-bell ring,

Ring-a-ding-a-dong-a-dong!

Blush Sunbeam Yussuf Royal Guard

Joy Joy

and sorrow alternate! Joy and sorrow, joy and sorrow Joy and sorrow alternate! and sorrow alter-

alter- nate!

nate! Ding, Ding!

Ding, dong, Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,

ding, ding, ding, dong; ding, ding, dong. Ding, dong.

Ding, dong, Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding

ding! ding, ding! ding ding

So the clock doth indicate So the clock doth indicate dong! The clock doth indicate So the clock doth indicate

Joy and sorrow alternate. Joy and sorrow alternate. Joy and sorrow alternate. Joy and sorrow alternate.

The clock

The The

doth clock doth doth clock doth

indicate, indicate, indicate, indicate,

joy and

sorrow, joy and joy joy joy

sorrow, joy and sorrow alternate, and sorrow alternate. and sorrow alternate. and sorrow alternate.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,

Ding dong, Ding dong, ding dong, Ding dong,

joy Ding,

and sorrow, joy and sorrow, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, dong. joy and sorrow,

Joy or sorrow. Joy or sorrow. Joy or sorrow. Joy or sorrow.

Blush	Sunbeam	Yussuf	Royal Guard
Joy		Joy
and sorrow alternate!	Joy and sorrow, joy and sorrow	Joy and sorrow alternate!	and sorrow alter-
	alter-		nate!
	nate!	Ding,	Ding!
Ding, dong,	Ding, ding, ding, ding,	ding, ding, ding, ding,
ding,	ding, ding, dong;	ding, ding, dong. Ding,	dong.
Ding, dong,	Ding, ding, ding, ding,	ding, ding, ding, ding
ding!	ding, ding!	ding ding
So the clock doth indicate	So the clock doth indicate	dong! The clock doth indicate	So the clock doth indicate
Joy and sorrow alternate.	Joy and sorrow alternate.	Joy and sorrow alternate.	Joy and sorrow alternate.
The clock
	The		The
doth	clock doth	doth	clock doth
indicate,	indicate,	indicate,	indicate,
joy and
sorrow, joy and	joy	joy	joy
sorrow, joy and sorrow alternate,	and sorrow alternate.	and sorrow alternate.	and sorrow alternate.
		Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,
Ding dong,	Ding dong,	ding dong,	Ding dong,
joy		Ding,
and sorrow,	joy and sorrow,	ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, dong.	joy and sorrow,
Joy or sorrow.	Joy or sorrow.	Joy or sorrow.	Joy or sorrow.

Exeunt Yussuf, Soldier, and Blush-of-Morning. Enter Scent-of-Lilies, followed by Heart's Desire, followed by Vizier -- all excitedly.

Page updated 24 July 1999