Like to the falling of a star,
Or like the flight of eagles are;
Or like the fresh spring's gaudy hue,
Or silver drops of morning dew;
Or like a wind that chafes the flood,
Or bubbles which on water stood:
Even such is man, whose borrowed plight
Is straight call'd in, and paid to night.
  The wind blows out, the bubble dies;
  The spring entombed in autumn lies.
  The dew dries up, the star is shot;
  The flight is past and man forgot.

Note: author given as "Harry King" in the Bennett score.
² Bennett: "plight"

Composition:

Set to music by Richard Rodney Bennett (1936 - 2012), "Like to the falling of a star", from Tenebrae, no. 2

Text Authorship:

• by Henry King (1592 - 1669), first published 1664

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Ainsi est la vie", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 86