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Move him into the sun - Gently its touch awoke him once, At home, whispering of fields unsown. Always it woke him, even in France, Until this morning, and this snow. If anything might rouse him now The kind old sun will know. Think how it wakes the seed - Woke, once, the clays of a cold star. Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides, Full-nerved - still warm - too hard to stir? Was it for this the clay grew tall? - O what made fatuous sunbeams toil To break [earth's]1 sleep at all?
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)First published in Nation, 1918. In some editions, in stanza 1 line 3, "unsown" is "half-sown"
1 Rands: "the earth's"Text Authorship:
- by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "Futility", first published 1918 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by John E. Cousins , "Futility", 1971 [ baritone, flute, double piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, trombone, piano, and 3 percussion ], from Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori [sung text not yet checked]
- by Elaine Hugh-Jones (b. 1927), "Futility" [ tenor or baritone and piano or orchestra ], from Songs of War, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by H. Emerson Myers (b. 1910), "In Memoriam" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard Rands (b. 1934), "Futility", from Canti del sole, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jason Rico (b. 1978), "Futility" [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hugo Weisgall (1912 - 1997), "Futility", 1944-6, published 1953, rev. 1965 [ baritone and piano ], from Soldier Songs for Baritone, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Dies irae", op. 66 no. 2, published 1961 [ soprano, tenor, baritone, satb chorus, boys' chorus, orchestra, chamber orchestra, organ ], from War Requiem, no. 2
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Futilité", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Dr. Anthony Krupp) (Clo Blanco) , copyright © 2025, (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: 14
Word count: 90
Mets-le au soleil, Son toucher l'a un jour gentiment éveillé, À la maison, chuchotement de champs à demi semés. Il le réveillait toujours, même en France, Jusqu'à ce matin et cette neige. Si une chose pouvait maintenant le réveiller, Cette espèce de vieux soleil le saurait. Pense à la façon dont il réveille la graine – Réveilla un jour les argiles d'une étoile froide. Les membres si tendrement faits, les flancs Bien innervés – encore chauds – sont-ils trop durs à remuer ? Fut-ce pour cela que l'argile grandit ? – Ô pourquoi le niais labeur des rayons de soleil A-t-il complètement brisé le sommeil de la terre ?
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "Futility", first published 1918
This text was added to the website: 2015-03-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 106