by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
I promise nothing: friends will part
Language: English
I promise nothing: friends will part; All things may end, for all began; And truth and singleness of heart Are mortal even as is man. But this unlucky love should last When answered passions thin to air; Eternal fate so deep has cast Its sure foundation of despair.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), no title, appears in More Poems, no. 12, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jacob Avshalomov (b. 1919), "I promise nothing", published <<1969. [satb chorus a cappella] [text not verified]
- by Peggy Glanville-Hicks (1912 - 1990), "Unlucky love", published 1952 [medium voice and piano], from Five Songs, no. 4. [text not verified]
- by John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "I promise nothing; friends will part" [baritone and piano] [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-12
Line count: 8
Word count: 48