by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)
If there is any life when death is over
Language: English
If there is any life when death is over,
These tawny beaches will know much of me,
I shall come back, as constant and as changeful
As the unchanging, many-colored sea.
If life was small, if it has made me scornful,
Forgive me; I shall straighten like a flame
In the great calm of death, and if you want me
Stand on the sea-ward dunes and call my name.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship
- by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), "On the dunes", appears in Flame and Shadow, first published 1920 [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 John Woods Duke (1899 - 1984), "On the dunes", 1961. [mezzo-soprano and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Rupert Hughes (1872 - 1956), "The sun-swept dunes", published 1920 [voice and piano], from Four Meditations [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text added to the website: 2008-06-04 00:00:00
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:02:43
Line count: 8
Word count: 69