by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
Fallen Majesty
Language: English
Although crowds gathered once if she but showed her face, And even old men’s eyes grew dim, this hand alone, Like some last courtier at a gypsy camping place, Babbling of fallen majesty, records what’s gone. The lineaments, a heart that laughter has made sweet, These, these remain, but I record what’s gone. A crowd Will gather, and not know it walks the very street Whereon a thing once walked that seemed a burning cloud.
Confirmed with W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities and Other Poems, New York: The Macmillan company, 1916.
Text Authorship:
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "Fallen Majesty", appears in Responsibilities and Other Poems, first published 1916 [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 Kevin Puts (b. 1972), "Fallen Majesty" [ bass-baritone, flute, violin, cello, piano ], from In at the Eye, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-07-06
Line count: 8
Word count: 75