
by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
During wind and rain
Language: English
They sing their dearest songs - He, she, all of them - yea, Treble and tenor and bass, And one to play; With the candles mooning each face... Ah, no; the years O! How the sick leaves reel down in throngs! They clear the creeping moss- Elders and juniors - aye, Making the pathways neat And the garden gay; And they build a shady seat... Ah, no; the years, the years; See, the white storm-birds wing across! They blithely breakfast all - Men and maidens - yea, Under the summer tree, With a glimpse of the bay, While pet fowl come to the knee... Ah, no; the years O! And the rotten rose is ript from the wall. They change to a high new house, He, she, all of them - aye, Clocks and carpets and chairs On the lawn all day, And brightest things that are theirs... Ah, no; the years, the years; Down their chiselled names the rain-drop ploughs.
Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "During wind and rain", appears in Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses, first published 1917 [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 Roy Buckle (b. 1926), "During wind and rain", 2000 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "During wind and rain", c1950, unfinished [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2006-10-11
Line count: 28
Word count: 161