by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936)
Oh is it the jar of nations
Language: English
"Oh is it the jar of nations, The noise of a world run mad, The fleeing of earth's foundations?" Yes, yes; lie quiet, my lad. "Oh is it my country calling, And whom will my country find To shore up the sky from falling?" My business; never you mind. "Oh is it the newsboys crying Lost battle, retreat, despair, And honour and England dying?" Well, fighting cock, what if it were? The devil this side of the darnels Is having a dance with man, And quarrelsome chaps in charnels Must bear it as best they can.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936), no title, appears in Additional Poems, no. 14, first published 1939 [author's text checked 1 time 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 John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "Oh is it the jar of nations", published 2004 [baritone and piano], from Three More Housman Songs, no. 3, Da Capo Music Ltd. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Mike Pearson
This text was added to the website: 2011-03-04
Line count: 16
Word count: 96