by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
On being asked for a War Poem
Language: English
I think it better that in times like these A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth We have no gift to set a statesman right; He has had enough of meddling who can please A young girl in the indolence of her youth, Or an old man upon a winter’s night.
Text Authorship:
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "On being asked for a War Poem" [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 Ronald A. Beckett , "On being asked for a War Poem", 2012 [ voice and piano ], from Four Songs from 'A Man Young and Old', no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2020-04-14
Line count: 6
Word count: 52