by John Masefield (1878 - 1967)
By a Bier‑Side
Language: English
This is a sacred city, built of marvellous earth. Life was lived nobly there to give such Beauty birth. Beauty was in this brain and in this eager hand. Death is so blind and dumb, death does not understand. Death drifts the brain with dust and soils the young limbs' glory. Death makes justice a dream and strength a traveller's story. Death drives the lovely soul to wander under the sky. Death opens unknown doors. It is most grand to die.
Authorship:
- by John Masefield (1878 - 1967), appears in The Tragedy of Pompey the Great, first published 1910 [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 Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960), "By a Bier-Side", published 1924 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "By a Bier-Side", 1915-1916, published 1979, first performed c1917 [ voice and piano or orchestra ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 81