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After the blast of lightning from the East, The flourish of loud clouds, the Chariot Throne; After the drums of time have rolled and ceased, And by the bronze west long retreat is blown, Shall life renew these bodies? Of a truth All death will He annul, all tears assuage? - [Or fill these void veins full again with youth]1, And wash, with an immortal water, Age? When I do ask white Age he saith not so: "My head hangs weighed with snow." And when I hearken to the Earth, she saith: "My fiery heart shrinks, aching. It is death. Mine ancient scars shalls not be glorified, Nor my titanic tears, the sea, be dried."
First published in the Saturday Westminster Gazette, 1919.
1 Britten: "Fill the void veins of Life again with youth"Text Authorship:
- by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "The end" [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 Elaine Hugh-Jones (b. 1927), "The end" [ tenor or baritone and piano or orchestra ], from Songs of War, no. 4
Publisher: Hildegard Publishing Company [external link] [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Sanctus", op. 66 no. 4, published 1961 [ soprano, tenor, baritone, satb chorus, boys' chorus, orchestra, chamber orchestra, organ ], from War Requiem, no. 4
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La fin", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Dr. Anthony Krupp) (Clo Blanco) , "El fin", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-08
Line count: 14
Word count: 116
Después del estallido del relámpago desde el Este, el florecimiento de nubes estruendosas, del Carruaje del Trono; después de que hayan sonado y cesado los tambores del Tiempo, y desde el oeste de bronce se sople una larga retirada, ¿La Vida renovará a estos cuerpos? ¿Será verdad que Él anulará toda muerte, y calmará todas las lágrimas?— ¿Llenará de nuevo las venas vacías de Vida con juventud, y lavará con un agua inmortal la Edad? Cuando pregunto a la Edad blanca, ella dice que no: "Mi cabeza cuelga, pesada por la nieve." Y cuando escucho a la Tierra, ella dice: "Mi corazón ardiente se encoge, doliente. Es la muerte. Mis antiguas cicatrices no serán glorificadas, ni mis lágrimas titánicas, el mar, se secarán."
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Spanish (Español) copyright © 2025 by Dr. Anthony Krupp and Clo Blanco, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in English by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "The end"
This text was added to the website: 2025-03-31
Line count: 14
Word count: 123