I shall forget you presently, my dear
DURATION
1’40”
INSTRUMENTATION
SATB (div.) a cappella
AUDIO
Grant Park Chorus; Christopher Bell, conductor
Songs of Smaller Creatures, Cedille Records CDR 90000 131 • Purchase recording
POET
Edna St. Vincent Millay
YEAR COMPOSED
2004
COMMISSIONER
Volti
THIS IS A MOVEMENT FROM:
Sonnets of Desire, Longing, and Whimsy
ORDERING SCORES
Inkjar Publishing Company
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PERUSAL SCORE
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TEXT
I shall forget you presently, my dear,
So make the most of this, your little day,
Your little month, your little half a year
Ere I forget, or die, or move away,
And we are done forever; by and by
I shall forget you, as I said, but now,
If you entreat me with your loveliest lie
I will protest you with my favorite vow.
I would indeed that love were longer-lived,
And vows were not so brittle as they are,
But so it is, and nature has contrived
To struggle on without a break thus far,—
Whether or not we find what we are seeking
Is idle, biologically speaking.