by
Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918)
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Language: English
Available translation(s): CAT FRE GER
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, --
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
In Britten's War Requiem, this is sung by the tenor.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
This text (or a part of it) is used in a work
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Requiem aeternam", op. 66 no. 1, published 1961 [soprano, tenor, baritone, satb chorus, boys' chorus, orchestra, chamber orchestra, organ], from the collection War Requiem, no. 1..
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , title 1: "Hymne für verlorene Jugend", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Jason Rico
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 109
Hymne für verlorene Jugend
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Welch' Sterbeglock' für die, die Vieh gleich sterben?
Nur der Geschütze Groll im Himmel steht.
Nur schneller Schüsse stotterndes Verderben
kann hastig für sie rasseln ein Gebet.
Höhnt nicht mit eurem Beten ihre Taten;
und keine Trauerglocke nebst den Chören
- den Wahnsinnschören schrillender Granaten -
soll Trauertönen aus der Heimat wehren.
Welch' Sterbekerz' für die, die gehen heim?
In Händen nicht, in Knabenaugen weit
schimm're des Abschieds heil'ge Ewigkeit.
Der Mädchen Blässe soll ihr Grabtuch sein;
und ihre Blumen stiller Güte Sinn,
und jede Dämmerung ein Vorhang-Ziehn.
Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in English by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "Anthem for Doomed Youth", first published 1917
This text was added to the website: 2010-03-26
Line count: 14
Word count: 88