William Ernest Henley
English poet, critic and editor (1849–1903)
1849–1903, born in Gloucester
- Born
- 23 August 1849
- Birthplace
- Gloucester
- Died
- 11 July 1903
Notable works
- 1888 Invictus · verse, lyric poetry
- 1892 Collection Cottier catalogue
- 1896 A London Garland
- 1904 Poems
From their work
So be my passing! My task accomplish'd and the long day done, My wages taken, and in my heart Some late lark singing, Let me be gather'd to the quiet west, The sundown splendid and serene, Death.
The rain and the wind, the wind and the rain --They are with us like a disease:They worry the heart, they work the brain,As they shoulder and clutch at the shrieking pane,And savage the helpless trees.What does it profit a man to knowThese tattered and tumbling skiesA million stately stars will show,And the ruining grace of the after-glowAnd the rush of the wild sunrise?Ever the rain -- the rain and the wind!Come, hunch with me over the fire,Dream of the dreams that leered and grinned,Ere the blood of the Year got chilled and thinned,And the death came on desire!
Quotes from Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0). Texts of this author are in the public domain in the UK.