Very little is known of Dowland's early life, but it is generally thought he was born in London, or possibly Dublin. It is known that he went to Paris in 1580 where he was in service to the ambassador to the French court. He became a Roman Catholic at this time, which he claimed led to his not being offered a post at Elizabeth I's Protestant court. (However, he had told nobody of his conversion.) He worked instead for many years at the court of Christian IV of Denmark. He returned to England in 1606 and in 1612 secured a post as one of James I's lutenists. He died in London on the 20th February 1626.
Most of Dowland's music is for his own instrument, the lute. It includes several books of solo lute works, lute songs (for one voice and lute), part-songs with lute accompaniment, and several pieces for viol consort with lute.
He later wrote what is probably his best known instrumental work, Lachrimae or Seaven Teares Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans, a set of seven for five viols and lute, each based on his well-known song "Flow My Tears". It became one of the best known pieces of consort music in his own time. His pavane "Lachrymae antiquae" was also one of the big hits of the seventeenth century.
Dowland's music often displays the melancholia that was so fashionable in music at that time, typified by a consort piece with the punning title "Semper Dowland, semper dolens" ("Always Dowland, always doleful").
If my complaints could passions move
John Dowland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or make Love see wherein I suffer wrong:
My passions were enough to prove,
That my despairs had govern'd me too long.
O Love, I live and die in thee,
Thy grief in my deep sighs still speaks:
Thy wounds do freshly bleed in me,
My heart for thy unkindness breaks:
And when I hope, thou mak'st me hope in vain.
Thou say'st thou canst my harms repair,
Yet for redress, thou let'st me still complain.
Can Love be rich, and yet I want?
Is Love my judge, and yet I am condemn'd?
Thou plenty hast, yet me dost scant:
Thou made a God, and yet thy power contemn'd.
That I do live, it is thy power:
That I desire it is thy worth:
If Love doth make men's lives too sour,
Let me not love, nor live henceforth.
Die shall my hopes, but not my faith,
That you that of my fall may hearers be
May here despair, which truly saith,
I was more true to Love than Love to me
In John Dowland’s song “If my complaints could passions move”, the singer is addressing their love, expressing their despair and heartbreak. They long for their love to understand the pain they’re going through and to offer some sort of relief. The singer feels that their love is not reciprocated, and that their suffering goes unnoticed. They question if love can truly exist if they feel so poor and condemned by it. Despite everything, the singer remains faithful to love and the idea of it. They hope that someone else will hear their story and understand their struggles.
The song is essentially about the pain of unrequited love and the inherent difficulties in expressing oneself to another person. The singer is trying to convey their deepest feelings and emotions, but their love seems unable to comprehend them. This is a common theme in Dowland’s works, as he was known for his melancholic and introspective pieces that explore the complexities of human emotions. Through his music, he gives voice to the many different feelings that people experience in love, from joy and happiness to heartbreak and sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
If my complaints could passions move,
If my grievances could stir intense feelings,
Or make Love see wherein I suffer wrong:
Or cause Love to perceive the injustices I endure:
My passions were enough to prove,
My intense emotions were sufficient evidence
That my despairs had govern'd me too long.
That my long-standing sense of hopelessness had controlled me for too much time.
O Love, I live and die in thee,
Oh Love, my existence and demise are in you,
Thy grief in my deep sighs still speaks:
Your sorrow is still expressed in my deep sighs:
Thy wounds do freshly bleed in me,
Your injuries are freshly bleeding in me,
My heart for thy unkindness breaks:
My heart is breaking due to your unkindness:
Yet thou dost hope when I despair,
Yet, when I experience despair, you have hope,
And when I hope, thou mak'st me hope in vain.
And when I hold hope, you make me hope for something in vain.
Thou say'st thou canst my harms repair,
You claim you can repair the harm I have experienced,
Yet for redress, thou let'st me still complain.
Yet, you still permit me to voice my grievances and have done nothing for me.
Can Love be rich, and yet I want?
Can Love be wealthy, but I am still in need?
Is Love my judge, and yet I am condemn'd?
Is Love my judge, and yet I am found guilty?
Thou plenty hast, yet me dost scant:
You have plenty, yet I am lacking:
Thou made a God, and yet thy power contemn'd.
You made a deity but rejected your own power:
That I do live, it is thy power:
That I am alive, it is due to your power,
That I desire it is thy worth:
That I desire, it is due to your worth:
If Love doth make men's lives too sour,
If Love makes men's lives too harsh,
Let me not love, nor live henceforth.
Allow me to neither love nor live anymore.
Die shall my hopes, but not my faith,
My hopes will die, but my faith will not,
That you that of my fall may hearers be
So that you, who have heard of my downfall,
May here despair, which truly saith,
May also experience despair, which sincerely states,
I was more true to Love than Love to me
I was more loyal to Love than Love was to me.
Contributed by Samantha J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
caroline
on In darkness let me dwell
nice