Webster - Handel - May peace in Salem and Will the sun forget to streak (Queen of Sheba)

59. May peace in Salem (Queen of Sheba - recitative)
60. Will the sun forget to streak (Queen of Sheba - air)
From George Frideric Handel's 1748 Oratorio 'Solomon'
Gillian Webster, soprano
Paul Mccreesh, conductor
Gabrieli Consort & Players
Recorded at the Chapelle Royale, Château de Versailles, June 26, 2012
Queen of Sheba:
May peace in Salem ever dwell!
Illustrious Solomon, farewell!
Thy wise instructions be my future care,
Soft as the show'rs that cheer the vernal air,
Whose warmth bids ev'ry plant her sweets disclose;
The lily wakes, and paints the op'ning rose.
Will the sun forget to streak
Eastern skies with amber ray,
When the dusky shades to break
He unbars the gates of day?
Then demand if Sheba's queen
E'er can banish from her thought
All the splendour she has seen,
All the knowledge thou hast taught.