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The West A Glimmering Lake Of Light

By William Ernest Henley

Topics: classic

The West a glimmering lake of light,     A dream of pearly weather,     The first of stars is burning white -     The star we watch together.     Is April dead?    The unresting year     Will shape us our September,     And April's work is done, my dear -     Do you not remember?     O gracious eve!    O happy star,     Still-flashing, glowing, sinking! -     Who lives of lovers near or far     So glad as I in thinking?     The gallant world is warm and green,     For May fulfils November.     When lights and leaves and loves have been,     Sweet, will you remember?     O star benignant and serene,     I take the good to-morrow,     That fills from verge to verge my dream,     With all its joy and sorrow!     The old, sweet spell is unforgot     That turns to June December;     And, tho' the world remembered not,     Love, we would remember.     1876

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"The West a glimmering lake of light,..."

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Author:William Ernest Henley

"The West a glimmering lake of light,..." by William Ernest Henley

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William Ernest Henley

About William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) was an English poet, critic, and editor best known for his poem "Invictus" ("I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul"). Written while recovering from tuberculosis of the bone, it has become one of the most quoted poems of courage and resilience.

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