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We Shall Surely Die

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

We shall surely die:
Must we needs grow old?
Grow old and cold,
And we know not why?

O, the By-and-By,
And the tale that’s told!
We shall surely die:
Must we needs grow old?

Grow old and sigh,
Grudge and withhold,
Resent and scold?…
Not you and I?
We shall surely die!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

16 sec read
106

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABba abAB abbaA
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 268
Words 56
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 5
Full analysis for We Shall Surely Die »

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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    "We Shall Surely Die" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40583/we-shall-surely-die>.

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