by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
Life laughs onward
Language: English
Rambling I looked for an old abode Where, years back, one had lived I knew; Its site a dwelling duly showed, But it was new. I went where, not so long ago, The sod had riven two breasts asunder; Daisies throve gaily there, as though No grave were under. I walked along a terrace where Loud children gambolled in the sun: The figure that had once sat there Was missed by none. Life laughed and moved on unsubdued, I saw that Old succumbed to Young: 'Twas well my too regretful mood Died on my tongue.
Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "Life laughs onward", appears in Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses, first published 1917 [author's text not yet checked 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 Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "Life laughs onward", op. 19a no. 7, published 1958 [ voice and piano ], from Till Earth Outwears, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 95