The Shadow Of Dawn

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



The shadow of Dawn;
Stillness and stars and over-mastering dreams
Of Life and Death and Sleep;
Heard over gleaming flats, the old, unchanging sound
Of the old, unchanging Sea.

My soul and yours -
O, hand in hand let us fare forth, two ghosts,
Into the ghostliness,
The infinite and abounding solitudes,
Beyond--O, beyond!--beyond . . .

Here in the porch
Upon the multitudinous silences
Of the kingdoms of the grave,
We twain are you and I--two ghosts Omnipotence
Can touch no more . . . no more!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

25 sec read
81

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXXX XXAAX XXXXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 489
Words 85
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5

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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