by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
Language: English
Wake: the silver dusk returning Up the beach of darkness brims, And the ship of sunrise burning Strands upon the eastern rims. Wake: the vaulted shadow shatters, Trampled to the floor it spanned, And the tent of night in tatters Straws the sky-pavilioned land. Up, lad, up, 'tis late for lying: Hear the drums of morning play; Hark, the empty highways crying "Who'll beyond the hills away?" Towns and countries woo together, Forelands beacon, belfries call; Never lad that trod on leather Lived to feast his heart with all. Up, lad: thews that lie and cumber Sunlit pallets never thrive; Morns abed and daylight slumber Were not meant for man alive. Clay lies still, but blood's a rover; Breath's a ware that will not keep. Up, lad: when the journey's over There'll be time enough to sleep.
Composition:
- Set to music by (Gerald) Graham Peel (1878 - 1937), "Reveille", published 1911 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of a Shropshire Lad, no. 1
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), "Reveille", appears in A Shropshire Lad, no. 4, first published 1896
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 137