by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892)
Oh yet we trust that somehow good
Language: English
Oh yet we trust that somehow good
Will be the final goal of ill,
To pangs of nature, sins of will,
Defects of doubt, and taints of blood;
That nothing walks with aimless feet;
That not one life shall be destroy'd,
Or cast as rubbish to the void,
When God hath made the pile complete;
That not a worm is cloven in vain;
That not a moth with vain desire
Is shrivell'd in a fruitless fire,
Or but subserves another's gain.
Behold, we know not anything;
I can but trust that good shall fall
At last -- far off -- at last, to all,
And every winter change to spring.
So runs my dream: but what am I?
An infant crying in the night:
An infant crying for the light:
And with no language but a cry.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), written 1849, appears in In Memoriam A. H. H. obiit MDCCCXXXIII, no. 54, first published 1850 [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 Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, Sir (1891 - 1975), "O yet we trust", F. 52 no. 5, published 1975 [ soprano, baritone, SATB chorus, and organ or orchestra ], from Shield of Faith, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edith A. Bracken , "Oh yet we trust", <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mrs. E. G. Shapcote , "Oh yet we trust that somehow good", published 1857 [ voice and piano ], from Eleven songs [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Léon Morel (1850 - 1917) , appears in In Memoriam, poèmes de Lord Alfred Tennyson traduits en vers français, Paris, Éd. Hachette, first published 1898 ; composed by Max d'Ollone.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-11
Line count: 20
Word count: 136