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by Louis MacNeice (1907 - 1963)

Prayer before birth
Language: English 
I am not yet born; O hear me.
Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat
Or the club-footed ghoul come near me.

I am not yet born; console me.
I fear that the human race may with tall walls wall me,
With strong drugs dope me, with wise lies lure me,
On black racks rack me, in blood-baths roll me.

I am not yet born; provide me
With water to dandle me, grass to grow for me,
Trees to talk to me, sky to sing to me, birds and a white light
In the back of my mind to guide me.

I am not yet born; O hear me,
Let not the man who is beast
Or who thinks he is God come near me.

I am not yet born; O fill me
With strength against those who would freeze my humanity...
Against all those those who would...
Blow me like thistledown hither and thither
Or hither and thither like water
Held in the hands would spill me.

Let them not make me a stone
And let them not spill me.
Otherwise kill me.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Text Authorship:

  • by Louis MacNeice (1907 - 1963) [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 Elizabeth Maconchy (1907 - 1994), "Prayer before birth", 1972 [ SSAA chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-02-13
Line count: 23
Word count: 188

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