by John Masefield (1878 - 1967)
Once, very long ago
Language: English
Once, very long ago, When there was still the sun, Before these times, before The light was darkened, One whom we used to know Made life most noble ; one Who would have changed the world Had people hearkened. It was a dream. Perhaps Time drugs the soul with dreams To all but blind desire For high attempt ; Then the intense string snaps ; The project seems A hearth without a fire, A madness dreamt.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by John Masefield (1878 - 1967), no title, appears in The Faithful: A Tragedy in Three Acts [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 Ralph Greaves (1889 - 1966), "Once, very long ago", published 1925 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-12-31
Line count: 16
Word count: 76