SONGS AND SINGING
95
L. 43.
| Duke. | Mark it, Cesario: it is old, and plain; |
[Clown sings 'Come away, death.']
L. 67.
| Duke. | There's for thy pains. |
| Clo. | No pains, sir; I take pleasure in singing, sir. |
| Duke. | I'll pay thy pleasure then. |
'Light airs' in line 5 means 'vain fiddling jigs'—i.e., lively instrumental music. Lines 20–22 and 43 are worth remembering for many reasons.
The next and last passage requires no remark, except that 'organ pipe of frailty' means simply the voice of the dying king.
King John 57, 10. Death of K, John.
| Prince Henry. | Doth he still rage? |
| Pembroke. | He is more patient Than when you left him: even now he sung. |
| P. Hen. | O vanity of sickness! … … 'Tis strange that death should sing. I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan, Who chants a doleful hymn to his own death, And, from the organ-pipe of frailty, sings His soul and body to their lasting rest. |
