by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906)
In Memoriam See original
Language: English
When all is done, and my last word is said, And ye who loved me murmur, "He is dead," Weep not for me, lest I should know And sorrow too that ye should sorrow so. When all is done and in the oozing clay, Ye lay this cast-off hull of mine away, Pray not for me, for, after long despair, The quiet of the grave will be a prayer. For I have suffered loss and grievous pain, The hurts of hatred and the world's disdain, And wounds so deep that love, well-tried and pure, Had not the pow'r to ease them or to cure. When all is done, say not my day is o'er, And that thro' the dark I seek some dimmer shore Say that my morn has just begun, -- I greet the dawn and not the setting sun, When all is done.
Composition:
- Set to music by Thomas H. Kerr, jr. , "In Memoriam", copyright © 1956 [ voice and piano ], Willis C. Patterson, in The Second Anthology of Art Songs by African American Composers
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906), "When all is done", appears in Lyrics of the Hearthside, first published 1899
See other settings of this text.
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-27
Line count: 17
Word count: 146