by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
Soldier from the wars returning
Language: English
Soldier from the wars returning, Spoiler of the taken town, Here is ease that asks not earning; Turn you in and sit you down. Peace is come and wars are over, Welcome you and welcome all, While the charger crops the clover And his bridle hangs in stall. Now no more of winters biting Filth in trench from fall to spring, Summers full of sweat and fighting For the Kesar or the King. Rest you, charger, rust you, bridle; Kings and Kesars, keep your pay; Soldier, sit you down and idle At the inn of night for aye.
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Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), no title, appears in Last Poems, no. 8, first published 1922 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Charles Wilfred Orr (1893 - 1976), "Soldier from the wars returning", 1928, published 1937 [ baritone or bass-baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "Soldier from the wars returning " [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 98