by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
Clungunford and Clun
Language: English
Clunton and Clunbury, Clungunford and Clun, Are the quietest places Under the sun. In valleys of springs of rivers, By Ony and Teme and Clun, The country for easy livers, The quietest under the sun, We still had sorrows to lighten, One could not be always glad, And lads knew trouble at Knighton, When I was a Knighton lad. By bridges that Thames runs under, In London, the town built ill, 'Tis sure small matter for wonder If sorrow is with one still. And if as a lad grows older The troubles he bears are more, He carries his griefs on a shoulder That handselled them long before. Where shall one halt to deliver This luggage I'd lief set down? Not Thames, not Teme is the river, Nor London nor Knighton the town: 'Tis a long way further than Knighton, A quieter place than Clun, Where doomsday may thunder and lighten And little 'twill matter to one.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), no title, appears in A Shropshire Lad, no. 50, first published 1896 [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 Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "Clun", 1908-9, published 1911 [tenor, piano, and string quartet ad libitum], from On Wenlock Edge, no. 6. [text verified 1 time]
- by John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "In valleys of springs of rivers" [baritone and piano] [text not verified]
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 158