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by John Masefield (1878 - 1967)

Let that which is to come be as it may
Language: English 
Let that which is to come be as it may,
Darkness, extinction, justice, life intense
The flies are happy in the summer day,
Flies will be happy many summers hence.
Time with his antique breeds that built the Sphynx
Time with her men to come whose wings will tower,
Poured and will pour, not as the wise man thinks,
But with blind force, to each his little hour.
And when the hour has struck, comes death or change,
Which, whether good or ill, we cannot tell,
But the blind planet will wander through her range
Bearing men like us who will serve as well.
The sun will rise, the winds that ever move
Will blow our dust that once were men in love. 

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by John Masefield (1878 - 1967), no title, appears in Good Friday and Other Poems, first published 1916 [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 Solomon Pimsleur (1900 - 1962), "Let that which is to come", op. 21. [SATB chorus a cappella] [
     text not verified 
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-12-31
Line count: 14
Word count: 124

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