Some Starlit Garden Grey With Dew

William Ernest Henley 1849 (Gloucester) – 1903 (Woking)



Some starlit garden grey with dew,
Some chamber flushed with wine and fire,
What matters where, so I and you
Are worthy our desire?

Behind, a past that scolds and jeers
For ungirt loins and lamps unlit;
In front, the unmanageable years,
The trap upon the Pit;

Think on the shame of dreams for deeds,
The scandal of unnatural strife,
The slur upon immortal needs,
The treason done to life:

Arise! no more a living lie,
And with me quicken and control
Some memory that shall magnify
The universal Soul.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

27 sec read
94

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB XAXX CDCD EFEF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 493
Words 92
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic and editor, best remembered for his 1875 poem "Invictus". more…

All William Ernest Henley poems | William Ernest Henley Books

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