I turned and gave my strength to woman, Leaving untilled the stubborn field. Sinew and soul are gone to win her, Slow, and most perilous, her yield. The son I got stood up beside me, With fire and quiet beauty filled, He looked upon me, then he looked Upon the field I had not tilled He kissed me, and went forth to labour Where lonely tilth and moorland meet A gull above the ploughshare hears The ironic song of our defeat.
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Confirmed with The Oxford Book of Modern Verse, 1892-1935. Chosen by W. B. Yeats, Oxford, At the Clarendon Press, 1952, page 374.
Text Authorship:
- by Leonard Alfred George Strong (1896 - 1958), "Two Generations" [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 Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "Two Generations", op. 78 (1945) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-04-21
Line count: 12
Word count: 81