O, Gather Me The Rose

O, gather me the rose, the rose,
While yet in flower we find it,
For summer smiles, but summer goes,
And winter waits behind it!

For with the dream foregone, foregone,
The deed forborne for ever,
The worm, regret, will canker on,
And Time will turn him never.

So well it were to love, my love,
And cheat of any laughter
The fate beneath us and above,
The dark before and after.

The myrtle and the rose, the rose,
The sunshine and the swallow,
The dream that comes, the wish that goes,
The memories that follow!

1874

William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic, and editor. Despite battling tuberculosis from a young age, Henley is best known for his resilience and strength, qualities exemplified in his most famous poem, 'Invictus'. Henley was also a notable figure in the literary circles of his time, befriending and influencing key writers, such as Robert Louis Stevenson, who modeled the character Long John Silver after him.

William Ernest Henley

Rhymes And Rhythms - XIV

William Ernest Henley, Simple Poetry

I. M. To R. T. Hamilton Bruce (1846-1899)

William Ernest Henley, Simple Poetry

Admiral Guinea

William Ernest Henley, Simple Poetry

Double Ballade Of The Nothingness Of Things

William Ernest Henley, Simple Poetry

English

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When this, our rose, is faded,
And these, our days, are done,
In lands profoundly shaded
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Why Should We Sigh

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Lady, life's sweetest lesson wouldst thou learn,
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