by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
Epitaph on an army of mercenaries
Language: English
These, in the day when heaven was falling, The hour when Earth's foundations fled, Followed their mercenary calling And took their wages and are dead. Their shoulders held the sky suspended; They stood, and earth's foundations stay; What God abandoned, these defended, And saved the sum of things for pay.
First published in The Times, October 1917
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), "Epitaph on an army of mercenaries", appears in Last Poems, no. 37, first published 1922 [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 Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "Epitaph on an army of mercenaries", 1947? [ baritone or alto and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "Epitaph on an army of mercenaries", 1918 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "Epitaph on an army of mercenaries", 1918 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-18
Line count: 8
Word count: 50