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1849–1903

XIX

William Ernest Henley

Hither, this solemn eventide, All flushed and mystical and blue, When the late bird sings And sweet-breathed garden-ghosts walk sudden and wide,

Hesper, that bringeth all good things, Brings me a dream of you. And in my heart, dear heart, it comes and goes, Even as the south wind lingers and falls and blows,

Even as the south wind sighs and tarries and streams, Among the living leaves about and round; With a still, soothing sound, As of a multitude of dreams

Of love, and the longing of love, and love's delight, Thronging, ten thousand deep, Into the uncreating Night, With semblances and shadows to fulfil,

Amaze, and thrill The strange, dispeopled silences of Sleep.

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XIX · William Ernest Henley · Poetry Cove