Come swish around, my pretty punk, And keep me dancing still That I may stay a sober man Although I drink my fill. Sobriety is a jewel That I do much adore; And therefore keep me dancing Though drunkards lie and snore. O mind your feet, O mind your feet, Keep dancing like a wave, And under every dancer A dead man in his grave. No ups and downs, my pretty, A mermaid, not a punk; A drunkard is a dead man, And all dead men are drunk.
Four songs of Yeats
Song Cycle by Jonathan Harvey (1939 - 2012)
?. A drunken man's praise of sobriety  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
Authorship:
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "A drunken man's praise of sobriety", appears in New Poems, first published 1938
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]?. Sweet dancer  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
The girl goes dancing there On the leaf-sown, new-mown, smooth Grass plot of the garden; Escaped from bitter youth, Escaped out of her crowd, Or out of her black cloud. Ah, dancer, ah, sweet dancer! If strange men come from the house To lead her away, do not say That she is happy being crazy; Lead them gently astray; Let her finish her dance, Let her finish her dance. Ah, dancer, ah, sweet dancer!
Authorship:
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "Sweet dancer"
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First published in London Mercury, March 1938Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
?. The four ages of Man  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
He with body waged a fight, But body won; it walks upright. Then he struggled with he heart; Innocence and peace depart. Then he struggled with the mind; His proud heart he left behind. Now his wars on God begin; At stroke of midnight God shall win.
Authorship:
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "The four ages of Man"
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First published in London Mercury, December 1934 and Poetry, Chicago, December 1934Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Total word count: 209