by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647 - 1680)
Epilogue
Language: English
All my past life is mine no more, The flying hours are gone, Like transitory dreams giv’n o’er, Whose images are kept in store By memory alone. The time that is to come is not; How can it then be mine? The present moment’s all my lot; And that, as fast as it is got, My love, is only thine. Then talk not of inconstancy, False hearts, and broken vows; If I, by miracle, can be This live-long minute true to thee, ’Tis all that Heaven allows.
Text Authorship:
- by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647 - 1680) [author's text not yet checked 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 Hans Gál (1890 - 1987), "Epilogue", op. 75 no. 5, published 1959, copyright © 1959 [ women's chorus ], from Songs of Youth, no. 5, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Leben und Liebe", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
Research team for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Eva Fox-Gal
This text was added to the website: 2018-05-09
Line count: 15
Word count: 87