[1206] Margaritae Sorori

Guest poem sent in by Flavia Iacobaeus <bv97045@>

A late lark twitters from the quiet skies:
And from the west,
Where the sun, his day's work ended,
Lingers as in content,
There falls on the old, gray city
An influence luminous and serene,
A shining peace.

The smoke ascends
In a rosy-and-golden haze. The spires
Shine and are changed. In the valley
Shadows rise. The lark sings on. The sun,
Closing his benediction,
Sinks, and the darkening air
Thrills with a sense of the triumphing night--
Night with her train of stars
And her great gift of sleep.

So be my passing!
My task accomplish'd and the long day done,
My wages taken, and in my heart
Some late lark singing,
Let me be gather'd to the quiet west,
The sundown splendid and serene,
Death.

     -- William Ernest Henley

This is one image I've always loved! As clear and peaceful as Tennyson's
"Crossing the Bar". But does anyone know what the title refers to?
['margaritae' = pearl, 'sorori' = sisters. leaves me no wiser than before, i'm
afraid - martin]

Flavia

Here's what the Columbia Encyclopedia has to say about Henley;

Henley, William Ernest

   1849–1903, English poet, critic, and editor. Although crippled by
tuberculosis of the bone, he led an active, vigorous life. As editor of
several reviews successively, he introduced to the public a galaxy of
young writers, including Kipling, Wells, and Yeats. Although his verse
is noted for its bravado and spirit of defiance, his poetry could be
equally delicate and lyrical. His best-known poems include "England, My
England," and "Invictus," which concludes with the famous lines "I am the
master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Henley's volumes of verse
include A Book of Verses (1888), The Song of the Sword (1892), and For
England's
Sake (1900). He collaborated on four plays with Robert Louis Stevenson, with
whom he enjoyed a long friendship.


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From: William King <william.king@>