After (Elgar)
"After" is a song written by the English composer Edward Elgar in 1895, as his Op. 31, No. 1, with the words from a poem by Philip Bourke Marston.[1][2]
The manuscript is dated 21 June 1895.[1][2]
The song was first performed by the Irish baritone Harry Plunket Greene in St. James's Hall on 2 March 1900, together with A Song of Flight, Op. 31, No. 2.[1]
Lyrics[edit]
A little time for laughter,
A little time to sing,
A little time to kiss and cling,
And no more kissing after.
A little while for scheming
Love's unperfected schemes;
A little time for golden dreams,
Then no more any dreaming.
A little while 'twas given
To me to have thy love;
Now, like a ghost, alone I move
About a ruined heaven.
A little time for speaking
Things sweet to say and hear;
A time to seek, and find thee near,
Then no more any seeking.
A little time for saying
Words the heart breaks to say;
A short, sharp time wherein to pray,
Then no more need for praying;
But long, long years to weep in,
And comprehend the whole
Great grief, that desolates the soul,
And eternity to sleep in.[3]
Recordings[edit]
- Songs and Piano Music by Edward Elgar has "After" performed by Amanda Pitt (soprano), with David Owen Norris (piano).
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Michael (1987). Portrait of Elgar (Third ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 342. ISBN 0-19-284017-7.
- ^ a b Moore, Jerrold Northrop (1984). Edward Elgar: A Creative Life. Oxford University Press. p. 190. ISBN 0-19-315447-1.
- ^ "2 Songs, Op.31". imslp.org. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- Banfield, Stephen, Sensibility and English Song: Critical studies of the early 20th century (Cambridge University Press, 1985) ISBN 0-521-37944-X
External links[edit]
- After: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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