Poem by William Ernest Henley

Rhymes and Rhythms. 12. Some Starlit Garden Grey with Dew

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.

1. Rhymes and Rhythms. 21. When the Wind Storms by with a Shout, and the Stern Sea-Caves
2. In Hospital. 12. Etching
3. Envoy
4. Echoes. 44. If It Should Come to Be
5. In Hospital. 7. Vigil

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