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by John Milton (1608 - 1674)

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of...
Language: English 
How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
    Stol'n on his wing my three-and-twentieth year!
    My hasting days fly on with full career,
    But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth
    That I to manhood am arrived so near;
    And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
    That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th.
Yet it be less or more, or soon or slow,
    It shall be still in strictest measure even
    To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heav'n:
    All is, if I have grace to use it so
    As ever in my great Task-Master's eye.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by John Milton (1608 - 1674), "Sonnet VII" [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 Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "How soon hath Time", op. 12 no. 2 (192-?) [tenor or soprano and small orchestra], from Two Sonnets, no. 2. [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-01-08
Line count: 14
Word count: 114

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