by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)

Language: English 
 ... 

Between the trees in flower
  New friends at fairtime tread
The way where Ludlow tower
  Stands planted on the dead.
Our thoughts, a long while after,
  They think, our words they say;
Theirs now's the laughter,
  Of fair, the first of May.

Ay, yonder lads are yet
  The fools that we were then;
For oh, the sons we get
  Are still the sons of men.
The sumless tale of sorrow
  Is all unrolled in vain:
May comes to-morrow
  And Ludlow fair again.
First published in Cambridge Review, April 1914

Composition:

    Set to music by Douglas Steele (1910 - 1999), "Between the trees", stanzas 3-4 [ voice and piano ], Manchester, Forsyth Publications

Text Authorship:

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-08-18
Line count: 32
Word count: 170