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"After" is a song written by the English composer
Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
in 1895, as his Op. 31, No. 1, with the words from a poem by
Philip Bourke Marston Philip Bourke Marston (13 August 1850 – 13 February 1887) was an English poet. Life He was born in London 13 August 1850, the son of John Westland Marston. Philip James Bailey and Dinah Maria Mulock were his sponsors, and the most popular of ...
. The manuscript is dated 21 June 1895. The song was first performed by the Irish baritone
Harry Plunket Greene Harry Plunket Greene (24 June 1865 – 19 August 1936) was an Irish baritone who was most famous in the formal concert and oratorio repertoire. He wrote and lectured on his art, and was active in the field of musical competitions and examinatio ...
in
St. James's Hall St. James's Hall was a concert hall in London that opened on 25 March 1858, designed by architect and artist Owen Jones, who had decorated the interior of the Crystal Palace. It was situated between the Quadrant in Regent Street and Piccadilly, ...
on 2 March 1900, together with A Song of Flight, Op. 31, No. 2.


Lyrics

A little time for laughter, A little time to sing, A little time to kiss and cling, And no more kissing after. A little while for scheming Love's unperfected schemes; A little time for golden dreams, Then no more any dreaming. A little while 'twas given To me to have thy love; Now, like a ghost, alone I move About a ruined heaven. A little time for speaking Things sweet to say and hear; A time to seek, and find thee near, Then no more any seeking. A little time for saying Words the heart breaks to say; A short, sharp time wherein to pray, Then no more need for praying; But long, long years to weep in, And comprehend the whole Great grief, that desolates the soul, And eternity to sleep in.


Recordings


Songs and Piano Music by Edward Elgar
has "After" performed by Amanda Pitt (soprano), with David Owen Norris (piano).


References

*Banfield, Stephen, ''Sensibility and English Song: Critical studies of the early 20th century'' (Cambridge University Press, 1985)


External links

* {{authority control Songs by Edward Elgar English poems 1895 songs