SORROWFUL LAND LYRICS

1. A Reminiscence

Yes, thou art gone! And never more
Thy sunny smile shall gladden me;
But I may pass the old church door,
And pace the floor that covers thee,
Yet, though I cannot see thee more,
'Tis still a comfort to have seen;
And though thy transient life is o'er,
'Tis sweet to think that thou hast been;
May stand upon the cold, damp stone,
And think that, frozen, lies below
The lightest heart that I have known,
The kindest I shall ever know.
To think a soul so near divine,
Within a form so angel fair,
United to a heart like thine,
Has gladdened once our humble sphere.

[By Anne Bronte (1820-1849)]

2. Requiescat

Strew on her roses, roses,
And never a spray of yew.
In quiet she reposes:
Ah! Would that I did too

Her mirth the world required:
She bathed it in smiles of glee.
But her heart was tired, tired,
And now they let her be.

Her life was turning, turning,
In mazes of heat and sound.
But for peace her soul was yearning,
And now peace laps her 'round

Her cabin'd, ample Spirit,
It flutter'd and fail'd for breath.
To-night it doth inherit
The vastly hall of Death.

[By Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)]

3. On Another's Sorrow

On Another’s Sorrow
Can I see another's woe,
And not be in sorrow too?
Can I see another's grief,
And not seek for kind relief?
Can I see a falling tear,
And not feel my sorrow's share?
Can a father see his child
Weep, nor be with sorrow filled?
Can a mother sit and hear
An infant groan, an infant fear?
No, no! Never can it be!
Never, never can it be!
And can He who smiles on all
Hear the wren with sorrows small,
Hear the small bird's grief and care,
Hear the woes that infants bear
And not sit beside the next,
Pouring pity in their breast,
And not sit the cradle near,
Weeping tear on infant's tear?
Oh, He gives to us his joy,
That our grief He may destroy:
Till our grief is fled an gone
He doth sit by us and moan.
And not sit both night and day,
Wiping all our tears away?
Oh no! Never can it be!
Never, never can it be!
He doth give his joy to all:
He becomes an infant small,
He becomes a man of woe,
He doth feel the sorrow too.
Can a mother sit and hear
An infant groan, an infant fear?
No, no! Never can it be!
Never, never can it be!
And can He who smiles on all
Hear the wren with sorrows small,
Hear the small bird's grief and care,
Hear the woes that infants bear
Think not thou canst sigh a sigh,
And thy Maker is not by:
Think not thou canst weep a tear,
And thy Maker is not near.

[By William Blake (1757-1827)]

4. Of Ruins...

Of ruins…
Memories of broken past
Shattered hope, they linger
Of ruins will stand
The lonely heart

Time!
It slowly fades away
Becoming void
Rust!
All now will turn to rust
Dust prevails

Sands of time
Swamp the Earth
Tired land
Of ruins…
Fallen rain
Cold as ice
Washing us away

Tired we watch
For a new light of day
But dawn brings nothing
Only shadows

5. In the Time of Tyrants

In the Time of Tyrants
All that the hand may touch;
All that the hand may own;
Crumbles beyond time's clutch
Down to oblivion.
Fear not the boasts which wound:
Fear not the threats which bind:
Always on broken ground
The seeds fall from the mind.

Always in darkest loam
A birthday is begun;
And from its catacomb
A candle lights the sun.

[By William Soutar (1898-1943) from "In the Time of Tyrants " (privately printed, 1939)]

6. Echoes of Endless Silence

Breathe no more
World fades

Stillness,
Quiet space,
Only echoes ring
In silence...
We stand
Watching the world
As it turns
To nothingness

Call me now
I hear

Serenity,
Quietude,
Sound no more
Just silence...
We stand
Watching the world
As it turns
To quietness

Endless, so endless
Quietly forming space
Echoes of silence
Still ring







SORROWFUL LAND LYRICS