by Countee Cullen (1903 - 1946)
If you should go
Language: English
Love, leave me like the light, The gently passing day; We would not know, but for the night, When it has slipped away. So many hopes have fled, Have left me but the name Of what they were. When love is dead, Go thou, beloved, the same. Go quietly; a dream, When done, should leave no trace That it has lived, except a gleam Across the dreamer’s face.
W. Still sets stanzas 1, 3
Text Authorship:
- by Countee Cullen (1903 - 1946), "If you should go" [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 John Woods Duke (1899 - 1984), "If you should go", 1951, rev. 1984 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Grant Still (1895 - 1978), "If you should go", published 1949, stanzas 1,3 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Separation, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-01-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 68