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London Types - VIII. Bluecoat Boy

By William Ernest Henley

Topics: classic

So went our boys when EDWARD SIXTH, the King,     Chartered CHRIST'S HOSPITAL, and died.    And so     Full fifteen generations in a string     Of heirs to his bequest have had to go.     Thus CAMDEN showed, and BARNES, and STILLING-FLEET,     And RICHARDSON, that bade our LOVELACE be;     The little ELIA thus in NEWGATE STREET;     Thus to his GENEVIEVE young S. T. C.     With thousands else that, wandering up and down,     Quaint, privileged, liked and reputed well,     Made the great School a part of LONDON TOWN     Patent as PAUL'S and vital as BOW BELL:     The old School nearing exile, day by day,     To certain clay-lands somewhere HORSHAM way.

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"So went our boys when EDWARD SIXTH, the King,..."

This evocative piece by William Ernest Henley, titled "London Types - VIII. Bluecoat Boy", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:William Ernest Henley

"So went our boys when EDWARD SIXTH, the King,..." 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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"What have I done for you,     England, my England?..."

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