Evening bells
Language: English
I sat one eve beside the rivers brink to watch the setting sun; And from a church the other side, The evening bells were rung So calm and peaceful was the scene So sweet and clear the chimes; That as I sat in reverie This message they defined, The shades of eve are falling fast List to our message ere you pass Remember life is fleeting fast At dawn another day has passed I pondered at the bell's clear notes Ah yes, how short is life, I sighed; How short to do the work I would, Time is eternal the bells replied Do now the work that is at hand, This was their sweet refrain; And if on earth you finish not In heaven you'll more regain So let this message comfort you Just be contented, good and true God will appoint you work to do If you just trust him all life through
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by William Baines (1899 - 1922), "Evening bells", c1915 [ voice and piano ], from Three songs, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-02-17
Line count: 24
Word count: 154