A faery song | We who are old, old and gay

by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)

We who are old, old and gay

Language: English

Our translations: FRE

   Sung by the people of Faery over Diarmuid and Grania,
   in their bridal sleep under a Cromlech.

We who are old, old and gay,
O so old!
Thousands of years, thousands of years,
If all were told:
Give to these children, new from the world,
Silence and love;
And the long dew-dropping hours of the night,
And the stars above:
Give to these children, new from the world,
Rest far from men.
Is anything better, anything better?
Tell us it then:
Us who are old, old and gay,
O so old!
Thousands of years, thousands of years,
If all were told.

About the headline (FAQ)

First published in National Observer, September 1891

Confirmed with The Poetical Works of William B. Yeats in two volumes, volume 1 : Lyrical Poems, The Macmillan Company, New York and London, 1906, page 177.

Text Authorship:

by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "A faery song" [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 (William) Havergal Brian (1876 - 1972), "A faery song", op. 13c (1906), published c1913, first performed 1906 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "We who are old", 1920 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Raymond Warren (b. 1928), "A faery song", 1959 [ SSATB chorus a cappella ], from Irish Madrigals [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-17
Line count: 18
Word count: 102