by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
Now hollow fires burn out to black
Language: English
Now hollow fires burn out to black, And lights are guttering low: Square your shoulders, lift your pack, And leave your friends and go. Oh never fear, man, nought's to dread, Look not left nor right: In all the endless road you tread There's nothing but the night.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Housman, A.E. A Shropshire Lad. London: K. Paul, Trench, Treubner, 1896; Bartleby.com, 1999. http://www.bartleby.com/123/60.html
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), no title, appears in A Shropshire Lad, no. 60, first published 1896 [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 Vernon Duke (1903 - 1969), "Now hollow fires", published 1955 [ medium voice and piano ], from Six Songs from "A Shropshire Lad" [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "Now hollow fires burn out to black " [ baritone 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: 48