Poem by William Ernest Henley

Echoes. 22. The West a Glimmering Lake of Light

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.

1. In Hospital. 14. Ave, Caeser!
2. In Hospital. 12. Etching
3. Rhymes and Rhythms. 21. When the Wind Storms by with a Shout, and the Stern Sea-Caves
4. Envoy
5. Echoes. 44. If It Should Come to Be

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