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What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, -- The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes. The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall; Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
Note: in Britten's War Requiem, this is sung by the tenor.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "Anthem for Doomed Youth", first published 1917 [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 Walter Gaze Cooper (b. 1895), "Anthem for Doomed Youth", op. 59 [ speaker and orchestra ], from Symphony no. 6 (A Symphony of War) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Greer (b. 1954), "Anthem for Doomed Youth ", from Sing me at midnight, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jason Rico (b. 1978), "Anthem for Doomed Youth" [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Requiem aeternam", op. 66 no. 1, published 1961 [ soprano, tenor, baritone, satb chorus, boys' chorus, orchestra, chamber orchestra, organ ], from War Requiem, no. 1
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , "Hymne für verlorene Jugend", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Dr. Anthony Krupp) (Clo Blanco) , "Himno para la juventud condenada", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Jason Rico
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 109
¿Qué campanas resuenan para los que mueren como el ganado?
— Sólo la ira monstruosa de los disparos.
Sólo el rápido tableteo tartamudo de los rifles
puede vomitar sus apresuradas plegarias.
No hay simulacros ahora para ellos; ni oraciones, ni campanas;
ni una voz de duelo salvo los coros, –
los estridentes, demenciales coros de granadas gimientes;
y cornetas que les llaman desde tristes pueblecitos.
¿Qué velas podrían sostenerse para honrarlos?
No en manos de los muchachos, sino en sus ojos
brillarán las tenues luces de las despedidas.
Los entrecejos palidecidos de las muchachas serán sus sudarios;
Sus flores serán la ternura de las mentes silenciadas,
y cada lento atardecer será el cierre de las persianas.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Spanish (Español) copyright © 2025 by Dr. Anthony Krupp and Clo Blanco, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "Anthem for Doomed Youth", first published 1917
This text was added to the website: 2025-03-31
Line count: 14
Word count: 116