Earth, receive an honoured guest, William Yeats is laid to rest. Let the Irish vessel lie Emptied of its poetry. In the nightmare of the dark, All the dogs of Europe bark, And the living nations wait, Each sequestered in its hate; Intellectual disgrace Stares from every human face, And the seas of pity lie Locked and frozen in each eye. Follow, poet, follow right To the bottom of the night, With your unconstraining voice Still persuade us to rejoice; With the farming of a verse Make a vineyard of the curse, Sing of human unsuccess In a rapture of distress; In the deserts of the heart Let the healing fountain start, In the prison of his days Teach the free man how to praise. Earth, receive an honoured guest: William Yeats is laid to rest.
3 Songs for Tracey Chadwell
Song Cycle by Elizabeth Maconchy (1907 - 1994)
1. In Memory of W.B. Yeats I  [sung text checked 1 time]
Authorship:
- by W. H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden (1907 - 1973)
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]2. In Memory of W.B. Yeats II  [sung text checked 1 time]
He disappeared in the dead of winter: The brooks were frozen, the airports almost deserted, And snow disfigured the public statues; The mercury sank in the mouth of the dying, dying, dying day. O all the instruments agree The day of his death was a dark cold day. But in the importance and noise of tomorrow When the brokers are roaring like beasts on the floor of the Bourse, And the poor have the sufferings to which they are fairly accustomed, And each in the cell of himself is almost convinced of his freedom, A few thousand will think of this day As one thinks of a day when one did something slightly unusual. O all the instruments agree The day of his death was a dark cold day.
Authorship:
- by W. H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden (1907 - 1973)
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]3. It's No Go  [sung text checked 1 time]
It's no go the merrygoround, it's no go the rickshaw, All we want is a limousine and a ticket for the peepshow. Their knickers are made of crêpe-de-chine, their shoes are made of python, Their halls are lined with tiger rugs and their walls with heads of bison. It's no go the Yogi-Man, it's no go Blavatsky, All we want is a bank balance and a bit of skirt in a taxi. [ ... ] It's no go the gossip column, it's no go the Ceilidh, All we want is a mother's help and a sugar-stick for the baby. [ ... ] It's no go the Herring Board, it's no go the Bible, All we want is a packet of fags when our hands are idle. [ ... ] [It's no go the picture palace, it's no go the stadium, It's no go the country cot with a pot of pink geraniums, It's no go the Government grants, it's no go the elections,]1 Sit on your arse for fifty years and hang your hat on a pension. It's no go my honey love, it's no go my poppet; Work your hands from day to day, the winds will blow the profit. The glass is falling hour by hour, the glass will fall for ever, But if you break the bloody glass you won't hold up the weather.
Authorship:
- by Louis MacNeice (1907 - 1963), "Bagpipe Music"
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
View original text (without footnotes)1 omitted by Maconchy.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]