by W. H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden (1907 - 1973)
Clocks cannot tell our time of day
Language: English
Clocks cannot tell our time of day For what event to pray Because we have no time, because We have no time until We know what time we fill, Why time is other than time was. Nor can our question satisfy The answer in the statue's eye: Only the living ask whose brow May wear the Roman laurel now; The dead say only how. What happens to the living when we die? Death is not understood by death; nor you, nor I.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by W. H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden (1907 - 1973), appears in The Double Man, first published 1941 [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 Lukas Foss (b. 1922), "We're late", 1959-60, published 1961, copyright © 1964 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Time Cycle, no. 1, New York, Carl Fischer [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "No time", 1992, first performed 1995 [ baritone and piano ], from Death's Echo -- 5 songs for Baritone and Piano, no. 4 [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: 13
Word count: 82