Madam, I Am Come to Court You Lyrics
A suitor offers a lady rings, diamonds, houses and land, but she replies that she cares only for a handsome man.
Madam, I Am Come to Court You
"Madam, I am come to court you,
If your favour I can gain."
"Ah, Ah!" said she, "you are a bold fellow,
If I e'er see your face again!"
"Madam, I have rings and diamonds,
Madam, I have houses and land,
Madam, I have a world of treasure,
All shall be at your command."
"I care not for rings and diamonds,
I care not for houses and lands,
I care not for a world of treasure,
So that I have but a handsome man."
"Madam, you think much of beauty,
Beauty hasteneth to decay,
For the fairest of flowers that grow in summer
Will decay and fade away."
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/madam-i-am-come-to-court-you/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken as a duet, one voice for the suitor and one for the lady
- Best for ages
- 5 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Madam, I have rings and diamonds | Hold up your hand and show off an imaginary ring. |
| I care not for rings and diamonds | Wave your hand to one side as if sweeping them away. |
| Beauty hasteneth to decay | Shake your head slowly and wag a finger. |
What Does Madam, I Am Come to Court You Mean?
The rhyme is a short play in four verses. In the first the suitor says he has come to court the lady, and she answers sharply. In the second he lists what he can give her: rings, diamonds, houses, land and a world of treasure. In the third she says she cares for none of it, so long as she has a handsome man.
In the last verse the suitor answers that she thinks too much of beauty, and he warns that beauty hastens to decay, just as the fairest flowers of summer fade away. Hasteneth is an old word meaning hurries.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell prints the verses in The Nursery Rhymes of England as one piece, with the suitor's and the lady's lines set in quotation marks. Because the two speakers answer one another line by line, the rhyme works well when two people read the parts.
Learning Activities
- Two voices: read the rhyme in pairs, one child as the suitor and one as the lady.
- Old words: make a list of the old words, such as favour and hasteneth, and say them in modern words.
- Summer flowers: look at real flowers and talk about how they change as they fade.
- Treasure list: list the treasures named in the second verse and draw them.