Nothing is Lost

by Noel Coward

Deep in our sub-conscious, we are told

Lie all our memories, lie all the notes 

Of all the music we have ever heard 

And all the phrases those we loved have spoken, 

Sorrows and losses time has since consoled, 

Family jokes, out-moded anecdotes 

Each sentimental souvenir and token 

Everything seen, experienced, each word 

Addressed to us in infancy, before 

Before we could even know or understand 

The implications of our wonderland. There they all are, the legendary lies 

The birthday treats, the sights, the sounds, the tears 

Forgotten debris of forgotten years 

Waiting to be recalled, waiting to rise 

Before our world dissolves before our eyes 

Waiting for some small, intimate reminder, 

A word, a tune, a known familiar scent 

An echo from the past when, innocent 

We looked upon the present with delight 

And doubted not the future would be kinder  

And never knew the loneliness of night. 

Coward, Noel. “Nothing is Lost.” 2007. The Writer’s Almanac. https://www.writersalmanac.org/index.html%3Fp=9384.html. Accessed August 16, 2026.