Arthur Bliss’s Pastoral: Lie Strewn the White Flocks, F.33, composed in 1928, is a choral-orchestral work lasting approximately 35 minutes. It is scored for SATB chorus, mezzo-soprano soloist, flute, timpani, and strings. The piece sets a sequence of English and classical texts, including poetry by Ben Jonson, John Fletcher, Robert Nichols, and Theocritus, to evoke a day in a mythologized pastoral landscape.​

Structured as a series of contrasting sections, the work begins with a choral invocation to Pan, followed by a hymn, a sarabande, and a retelling of the Pan and Echo myth. Subsequent movements include “The Naiads’ Music” for women’s voices, “The Pigeon Song” for mezzo-soprano solo, a male chorus prayer to Demeter, and a closing reflection on classical love stories. The musical language is modal and restrained, with emphasis on texture and atmosphere rather than dramatic development.​

Bliss described the work as an anthology of poems unified by a pastoral theme, marking his first use of this structural approach. He later employed similar techniques in works like Morning Heroes and The Beatitudes. Despite its title, the piece avoids sentimental depictions of rural life, instead offering a stylized, ceremonial meditation on classical themes.