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by Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953)

Should lanterns shine, the holy face
Language: English 
Should lanterns shine, the holy face,
Caught in an octagon of unaccustomed light,
Would wither up, an any boy of love
Look twice before he fell from grace. 
The features in their private dark
Are formed of flesh, but let the false day come
And from her lips the faded pigments fall,
The mummy cloths expose an ancient breast. 

I have been told to reason by the heart,
But heart, like head, leads helplessly;
I have been told to reason by the pulse,
And, when it quickens, alter the actions' pace
Till field and roof lie level and the same
So fast I move defying time, the quiet gentleman
Whose beard wags in Egyptian wind. 

I have heard may years of telling,
And many years should see some change. 

The ball I threw while playing in the park
Has not yet reached the ground.

About the headline (FAQ)

First published in New Verses, December 1935 as one of "Three Poems", revised 1936 and 1952

Text Authorship:

  • by Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953), no title [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 Ron Ford (b. 1959), "Should lanterns shine", 1985, from Four songs on texts of Dylan Thomas, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Richard Roderick-Jones (b. 1947), "Should lanters shine, the holy face", 1966 [ mezzo-soprano, SATB chorus, flute, oboe, bassoon, violin, viola, violoncello, and contrabass ], from Should lanterns shine [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 19
Word count: 144

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