And death shall have no dominion. Dead mean naked they shall be one With the man in the wind and the west moon; When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone, They shall have stars at elbow and foot; Though they go mad they shall be sane, Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again; Though lovers be lost love shall not; And death shall have no dominion. And death shall have no dominion. Under the windings of the sea They lying long shall not die windily; Twisting on racks when sinews give way, Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break; Faith in their hands shall snap in two, And the unicorn evils run them through; Split all ends up they shan't crack; And death shall have no dominion. And death shall have no dominion. No more may gulls cry at their ears Or waves break loud on the seashores; Where blew a flower may a flower no more Lift its head to the blows of the rain; Through they be mad and dead as nails, Heads of the characters hammer through daisies; Break in the sun till the sun breaks down, And death shall have no dominion.
Should lanterns shine
Song Cycle by Richard Roderick-Jones (b. 1947)
?. And death shall have no dominion  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
Authorship:
- by Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953)
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First published in New English Weekly (May 1933), revised 1936Researcher for this page: Robert Manno
?. Should lanters shine, the holy face  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
Should lanterns shine, the holy face, Caught in an octagon of unaccustomed light, Would wither up, an any boy of love Look twice before he fell from grace. The features in their private dark Are formed of flesh, but let the false day come And from her lips the faded pigments fall, The mummy cloths expose an ancient breast. I have been told to reason by the heart, But heart, like head, leads helplessly; I have been told to reason by the pulse, And, when it quickens, alter the actions' pace Till field and roof lie level and the same So fast I move defying time, the quiet gentleman Whose beard wags in Egyptian wind. I have heard may years of telling, And many years should see some change. The ball I threw while playing in the park Has not yet reached the ground.
Authorship:
- by Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953), no title
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First published in New Verses, December 1935 as one of "Three Poems", revised 1936 and 1952Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
?. Twenty‑four years remind the tears of my eyes  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
Twenty-four years remind the tears of my eyes. (Bury the dead for fear that they walk to the grave in labour.) In the groin of the natural doorway I crouched like a tailor Sewing a shroud for a journey By the light of the meat-eating sun. Dressed to die, the sensual strut begun. With my red veins full of money, In the final direction of the elementary town I advance as long as forever is.
Authorship:
- by Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953), "Birthday poem"
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First published in Life and Letters Today, December 1938, revised 1939Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Total word count: 424