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In Hospital - IV - Before

By William Ernest Henley

Topics: classic

Behold me waiting - waiting for the knife.     A little while, and at a leap I storm     The thick, sweet mystery of chloroform,     The drunken dark, the little death-in-life.     The gods are good to me:    I have no wife,     No innocent child, to think of as I near     The fateful minute; nothing all-too dear     Unmans me for my bout of passive strife.     Yet am I tremulous and a trifle sick,     And, face to face with chance, I shrink a little:     My hopes are strong, my will is something weak.     Here comes the basket?    Thank you.    I am ready.     But, gentlemen my porters, life is brittle:     You carry Caesar and his fortunes - steady!

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"Behold me waiting - waiting for the knife...."

"In Hospital - IV - Before" is a quintessential example of William Ernest Henley's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:William Ernest Henley

"Behold me waiting - waiting for the knife...." by William Ernest Henley

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William Ernest Henley

About William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) was an English poet, critic, and editor best known for his poem "Invictus" ("I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul"). Written while recovering from tuberculosis of the bone, it has become one of the most quoted poems of courage and resilience.

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"What have I done for you,     England, my England?..."

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