Eyes that last I saw in tears
Through division
Here in death's dream kingdom
The golden vision reappears
I see the eyes but not the tears
This is my affliction

This is my affliction
Eyes I shall not see again
Eyes of decision
Eyes I shall not see unless
At the door of death's other kingdom
Where, as in this,
The eyes outlast a little while
A little while outlast the tears
And hold us in derision.

First published in Chapbook, November 1924, as one of "Doris' Dream Songs"

Text Authorship:

• by T. S. (Thomas Stearns) Eliot (1888 - 1965), "Eyes that last I saw in tears" [author's text not yet checked 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 Jani Christou (1926 - 1970), "Eyes that last I saw in tears", 1955, orchestrated 1957 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Six T.S.Eliot songs for mezzo-soprano and piano, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
• by John Gruen (b. 1927), "Eyes that last I saw in tears", 1959? [ voice (and piano?) ], from Two Eliot Poems for Voice [sung text not yet checked]
• by Robin Holloway (b. 1943), "Eyes that last I saw in tears", op. 22 no. 3 (1973), copyright © 1978 [ chorus a cappella ], from Five Madrigals, no. 3, [London] : Oxford University Press : Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
• by John McCabe (1939 - 2015), "Eyes that last I saw in tears", published 1963 [ soprano and chamber orchestra ], from Five elegies [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-04-24
Line count: 15
Word count: 77