by George Herbert Clarke (1873 - 1953)
Ruins
Language: English
Ruins of trees whose woeful arms Vainly invoke the sombre sky Stripped, twisted boughs and tortured boles, Like lost souls How green they grew on the little farms! Ruins of stricken wall and spire, Stretched mile on desolate mile along Ghosts of a life of sweet intent, Riven and rent By frantic shell and searching fire. Ruins of soldiers torn and slain, Boyish bodies broken for you; Burned in their hearts the battle cry! Lifeless they lie, Clay crumbling slow to clay again.
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Barbara Pentland (b. 1912), "Ruins", 1932 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 83