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Poem by William Ernest Henley


Echoes. 29. A Child


         To R. L. S.

A child,
Curious and innocent,
Slips from his Nurse, and rejoicing
Loses himself in the Fair.

Thro' the jostle and din
Wandering, he revels,
Dreaming, desiring, possessing;
Till, of a sudden
Tired and afraid, he beholds
The sordid assemblage
Just as it is; and he runs
With a sob to his Nurse
(Lighting at last on him),
And in her motherly bosom
Cries him to sleep.

Thus thro' the World,
Seeing and feeling and knowing,
Goes Man: till at last,
Tired of experience, he turns
To the friendly and comforting breast
Of the old nurse, Death. 



William Ernest Henley


William Ernest Henley's other poems:
  1. The Gods are Dead
  2. Rhymes and Rhythms. 20. The Shadow of Dawn
  3. In Hospital. 18. Children: Private Ward
  4. In Hospital. 10. Staff-Nurse: New Style
  5. Echoes. 20. The Surges Gushed and Sounded


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