by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822)
The flower that smiles to‑day
Language: English
The flower that smiles to-day To-morrow dies; All that we wish to stay Tempts and then flies. What is this world's delight? Lightning that mocks the night, Brief even as bright. Virtue, how frail it is! Friendship how rare! Love, how it sells poor bliss For proud despair! But we, though soon they fall, Survive their joy, and all Which ours we call. Whilst skies are blue and bright, Whilst flowers are gay, Whilst eyes that change ere night Make glad the day; Whilst yet the calm hours creep, Dream thou -- and from thy sleep Then wake to weep.
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View text with all available footnotesText Authorship:
- by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822), "Mutability", first published 1824 [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 Creighton Allen (1900 - 1969), "Mutability", published 1954, from Shelley Songs, Cycle of Ten Songs, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Benjamin Arnold , "The flower that smiles", published 1878 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "Dreams", published 1938 [ a cappella chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by George John Bennett (1863 - 1930), "Mutability", published 1886 [ voice and piano ], from Twelve Songs Set to Poems of Shelley and Rossetti, no. 5, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur C. Berdahl , "Mutability" [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Henry) Elliot Button (1861 - ?), "The flower that smiles today", published 1898 [ chorus ], partsong [sung text not yet checked]
- by Florence A. Marshall (b. 1843), "Mutability", 1874 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Stöhr (1874 - 1967), "Mutablility", op. 110 (Twelve Songs) no. 1 (1944-1945) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by David Evan Thomas (b. 1958), "Mutability", 1994, first performed 1995 [ tenor, piano ], from Moonlight on a Midnight Stream, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by George John Bennett.
- 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.]
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Augusta Guidetti ; composed by Giorgio Federico Ghedini.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Změna", Prague, J. Otto, first published 1901
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-24
Line count: 21
Word count: 99