Laurel · W. E. Henley

Poems

W. E. Henley (1849–1903) · 1898

Mixed forms · 3,625 lines in 141 sections

W. E. Henley: "Invictus", the hospital poems, London Voluntaries.

Measured across the book

Across its 3,625 lines, 93% of stressed syllables fall on the beat (95% interval 92% to 93%). Alliteration runs at 1.40 times what shuffling the words would give (0.32 observed against 0.23 expected). 24% of the lines have a feminine ending.

Baselines and intervals are described in the methods.

Contents

To My Wifeiambic pentameter · ABAB · 22 lines Waitingiambic pentameter · unrhymed · 12 lines Interiorunrhymed · 16 lines Beforeiambic pentameter · 14 lines Operationtrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 24 lines Afteriambic pentameter · 14 lines Vigildactylic trimeter · 42 lines Staff-Nurse: Old Styleiambic pentameter · ABBAACCADEFDEF · 14 lines Lady-Probationeriambic pentameter · ABBACDDCEEFGGF · 14 lines Staff-Nurse: New Styleiambic pentameter · AABB · 14 lines Clinicalunrhymed · 47 lines Etchingtrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 24 lines Casualtytrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 20 lines Ave Caeser!trochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 18 lines XV ‘The Chief’iambic pentameter · AABB · 14 lines House-Surgeoniambic pentameter · ABBAABBACDECDE · 14 lines Interludetrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 24 lines Children: Private Wardiambic pentameter · ABBACDDCEEFGGF · 14 lines Scrubberiambic pentameter · ABBACDDCEFEGFG · 14 lines Visitoriambic pentameter · 14 lines Romancetrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 20 lines Pastoralunrhymed · 34 lines Musictrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 28 lines Suicidetrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 20 lines Apparitioniambic pentameter · 14 lines Anteroticstrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 12 lines Nocturntrochaic tetrameter · unrhymed · 16 lines Dischargeddactylic trimeter · 27 lines Envoy to Charles Baxter32 lines The Song of the Sworddactylic dimeter · unrhymed · 164 lines Arabian Nights’ Entertainmentsiambic pentameter · unrhymed · 381 lines To W. aiambic tetrameter · ABABBCBC · 24 lines EnvoyABAB · 4 lines Ballade, (Double Refrain), of Youth and AgeABABBCBC · 25 lines EnvoyAABB · 4 lines To W. Hiambic pentameter · ABABBCBC · 24 lines EnvoyAABB · 4 lines Ballade of Dead Actorsiambic tetrameter · ABABBCBC · 25 lines EnvoyABAB · 4 lines To C. Miambic trimeter · ABABBCCDEDE · 33 lines Envoy5 lines Ballade of Truismstrochaic tetrameter · AABAABBBABBA · 36 lines Envoyiambic tetrameter · AABAAB · 6 lines Double Ballade of Life and Fatetrochaic tetrameter · ABABBCBC · 48 lines EnvoyABAB · 4 lines Double Ballade of the Nothingness of Thingsiambic trimeter · ABABBCCDEDE · 66 lines Envoyiambic trimeter · AABCCB · 6 lines To W. G. Siambic pentameter · ABBAABBACDECDE · 14 lines Orientaleiambic pentameter · 14 lines In Fisherrowiambic pentameter · ABBAABBACDCCDC · 14 lines To D. Fiambic tetrameter · ABBAABBACDCCDC · 14 lines To G. Wiambic pentameter · 14 lines To A. Jiambic pentameter · ABBACDDCEFGEFG · 14 lines To M. M. M‘Biambic tetrameter · 14 lines In the Dialsiambic pentameter · AABB · 14 lines The Gods Are Deadiambic hexameter · 15 lines To F. Wiambic pentameter · AABB · 15 lines When You Are Oldiambic pentameter · AABB · 15 lines Beside the Idle Summer Seaiambic tetrameter · 13 lines I. M, R. G. C. B, 1878iambic pentameter · 13 lines We Shall Surely Dieiambic trimeter · 13 lines What Is to Comeiambic pentameter · AABB · 15 lines To My Motheranapaestic trimeter · ABABCDCD · 24 lines Life is bitter. All the faces of the yearstrochaic hexameter · AABCCB · 12 lines O, Gather Me the Rose, the Roseiambic tetrameter · ABAB · 16 lines Out of the night that covers meiambic tetrameter · ABAB · 16 lines AM the Reaperdactylic dimeter · 27 lines Praise the generous gods for givingtrochaic tetrameter · ABAB · 12 lines Fill a glass with golden winetrochaic tetrameter · ABABCC · 12 lines We’LL go no more a-roving by the light of the moonalexandrines · AABB · 12 lines To W. Rtrochaic tetrameter · ABAB · 16 lines The sea is full of wandering foamcommon measure · ABAB · 8 lines To W. Rdactylic dimeter · 12 lines To me at my fifth-floor windowcommon measure · 12 lines Bring her again, o western windcommon measure · ABAB · 8 lines The wan sun westers, faint and slowiambic tetrameter · ABABBCBC · 24 lines There is a wheel inside my head10 lines While the west is palingtrochaic trimeter · ABAB · 12 lines The sands are alive with sunshineiambic tetrameter · 12 lines To A. Diambic tetrameter · 8 lines Your heart has trembled to my tongueiambic trimeter · 12 lines The surges gushed and soundedcommon measure · 8 lines We flash across the leveliambic tetrameter · 16 lines The West a glimmering lake of lightiambic tetrameter · 24 lines The skies are strown with starsiambic trimeter · 10 lines The full sea rolls and thundersshort measure · 8 lines In the year that’s come and gone, love, his flying feathertrochaic hexameter · AABB · 12 lines In the placid summer midnightcommon measure · 24 lines She sauntered by the swinging seasiambic tetrameter · ABAB · 8 lines To S. Ciambic tetrameter · ABABCDCDEFEF · 48 lines To R. L. Sdactylic dimeter · 21 lines Kate-A-WHIMSIES, John-a-Dreamstrochaic tetrameter · ABAB · 8 lines O, Have You Blessed, Behind the Starsiambic tetrameter · 15 lines To D. Hiambic hexameter · AABB · 26 lines The ways are green with the gladdening sheeniambic tetrameter · 24 lines Love blows as the wind blowsiambic trimeter · ABABBCBC · 18 lines A Late Lark Twitters from the Quiet Skiesunrhymed · 23 lines Gave My Heart to a Woman—common measure · 12 lines To W. aiambic tetrameter · 24 lines On the way to Kewtrochaic trimeter · 30 lines The Past was goodly once, and yet, when all is saidalexandrines · AABB · 10 lines The spring, my deariambic trimeter · ABBACDDC · 16 lines To R. A. M. Sanapaestic trimeter · unrhymed · 38 lines A Wink from Hesper, Fallingiambic trimeter · 10 lines Friends . . . old friendsiambic trimeter · AABCBCDDEEAA · 36 lines If it should come to beiambic trimeter · 12 lines To W. Btrochaic tetrameter · ABCBCBBBAB · 20 lines Xlvi, Matri Dilectissimæ, I. Munrhymed · 57 lines Crosses and troubles a-many have proved meiambic pentameter · AABBCDDCEFEF · 12 lines Graveiambic pentameter · 27 lines Forth from the dust and diniambic pentameter · 103 lines Scherzandoiambic pentameter · 77 lines Out of the poisonous Eastiambic pentameter · 78 lines Spring winds that blowiambic pentameter · 76 lines Prologueiambic pentameter · unrhymed · 24 lines To H. B. M. Wiambic tetrameter · ABABCDCD · 24 lines To R. F. Bfourteeners · AABB · 29 lines A Desolate Shoreunrhymed · 38 lines It came with the threat of a waning mooniambic tetrameter · 16 lines Why, my heart, do we love her soiambic trimeter · ABACBDCD · 16 lines One with the ruined sunsetiambic tetrameter · 12 lines There’s a regretiambic pentameter · ABBA · 28 lines To A. J. Hdactylic dimeter · unrhymed · 39 lines ‘AS like the Woman as you can’—iambic tetrameter · ABABCDCD · 32 lines Midsummer midnight skiesiambic pentameter · unrhymed · 37 lines Gulls in an aëry morricetrochaic tetrameter · 12 lines Some starlit garden grey with dewiambic tetrameter · ABAB · 16 lines To James McNeill Whistleriambic pentameter · unrhymed · 30 lines To J. A. Cdactylic dimeter · unrhymed · 36 lines You played and sang a snatch of songiambic tetrameter · 16 lines Space and dread and the dark—unrhymed · 36 lines Xvii, Carmen Patibulare, to H. Siambic tetrameter · 40 lines When you wake in your cribdactylic dimeter · 46 lines O, Time and Change, They Range and Rangeiambic tetrameter · 16 lines The shadow of Dawnunrhymed · 15 lines When the wind storms by with a shout, and the stern…AABBA · 10 lines Trees and the menace of nightiambic pentameter · unrhymed · 29 lines To P. A. Gtrochaic tetrameter · ABABCDCD · 24 lines To A. Ciambic pentameter · unrhymed · 70 lines What have I done for youtrochaic tetrameter · 50 lines Epilogueiambic pentameter · unrhymed · 22 lines

About this text

Public domain. Text from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #1568. Free to read, print, copy and reuse.

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