...
Stop and consider! life is but a day;
A fragile dew-drop on its perilous way
From a tree’s summit; a poor Indian’s sleep
While his boat hastens to the monstrous steep
Of Montmorenci. Why so sad a moan?
Life is the rose’s hope while yet unblown;
The reading of an ever-changing tale;
The light uplifting of a maiden’s veil;
A pigeon tumbling in clear summer air;
A laughing school-boy, without grief or care,
Riding the springy branches of an elm.
Could all this be forgotten?
Note: the text above is taken from stanza 5 of the original text.
The poem is headed by a quote from Chaucer:
«As I lay in my bed slepe full unmete
Was unto me, but why that I ne might
Rest I ne wist, for there n’as erthly wight
[As I suppose] had more of hertis ese
Than I, for I n’ad sicknesse nor disese.»
Composition:
Set to music by Scott Gendel (b. 1977), "One day", 2000, stanza 5 [ medium-high voice and piano ], from Keats Songs, no. 5
Text Authorship:
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Què és més suau que l’oreig a l’estiu?", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Jean-Pierre Granger)
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2016-07-10
Line count: 408
Word count: 3087
