LiederNet logo

CONTENTS

×
  • Home | Introduction
  • Composers (20,114)
  • Text Authors (19,495)
  • Go to a Random Text
  • What’s New
  • A Small Tour
  • FAQ & Links
  • Donors
  • DONATE

UTILITIES

  • Search Everything
  • Search by Surname
  • Search by Title or First Line
  • Search by Year
  • Search by Collection

CREDITS

  • Emily Ezust
  • Contributors (1,114)
  • Contact Information
  • Bibliography

  • Copyright Statement
  • Privacy Policy

Follow us on Facebook

by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647 - 1680)
Translation by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960)

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

Leben und Liebe
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
Die Zeit, die ging, ist nicht mehr mein.
	Die Stunden fliehn geschwind,
Wie Träume fliehn beim Morgenschein;
Nur blasse Bilder reihn sich ein
	In der Erinnrung Spind.

Die Zeit, die kommt, liegt noch zurück:
	Wie wäre die wohl mein?
Der Augenblick ist mein Geschick –
Und der, samt seiner Fracht von Glück,
	Phyllis, ist einzig dein.

Drum sprich nicht mehr von Wankelmut,
	Der Treu und Untreu kehrt!
Laß ruhn, was in der Zukunft ruht:
Meint´s die Minute mit uns gut,
	Mehr ist uns nicht beschert.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 138.


Text Authorship:

  • by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), "Leben und Liebe", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in English by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647 - 1680)
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this page: Volkmar Henschel

This text was added to the website: 2021-02-25
Line count: 15
Word count: 85

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

Donate

We use cookies for internal analytics and to earn much-needed advertising revenue. (Did you know you can help support us by turning off ad-blockers?) To learn more, see our Privacy Policy. To learn how to opt out of cookies, please visit this site.

I acknowledge the use of cookies

Contact
Copyright
Privacy

Copyright © 2025 The LiederNet Archive

Site redesign by Shawn Thuris