The author of that verse was the 17th century British poet John
Dryden. It comes from Dryden's heroic drama "The Conquest of Granada."
Dryden is credited with being the first writer to use the term "noble
savage" in print.
The play was written in 1670, so you need not be concerned with
copyright concerns when you publish your father's musical adaptation.
"AUTHOR: John Dryden (1631-1700)
QUOTATION: I am as free as Nature first made man,
Ere the base laws of servitude began,
When wild in woods the noble savage ran.
ATTRIBUTION: The Conquest of Granada. Part i. Act i. Sc. 1."
Yahoo! Education: Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
http://education.yahoo.com/search/bfq?lb=q&p=num%3A191.82
Using Amazon.com's "Search Inside the Book," I have found the exact
wording of the Dryden verse. If you are registered with Amazon, you
can view the subsequent verses from the play by clicking on the link
below.
"No man has more contempt than I, of breath;
But whence hast thou the right to give me death?
Obey'd as Sovereign by thy Subjects be,
But know, that I alone am King of Me.
I am as free as Nature first made man,
Ere the base laws of servitude began,
When wild in woods the noble savage ran."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0520021258/ref=sib_vae_pg_30/104-9747912-2981534?%5Fencoding=UTF8&keywords=noble%20savage&p=S01F&twc=1&checkSum=qzdi0c9QjTuIdtk5zYR8YzckXImO63sb3lqM95MNytQ%3D#reader-link
Google search strategy:
Google Web Search: "I am as free as nature first made man"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22I+am+as+free+as+nature+first+made+man
I hope this helps. If anything is unclear, please request
clarification; I'll gladly offer further assistance before you rate my
answer.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
