Skip to content
Linespedia

When The Wind Storms By With A Shout

By William Ernest Henley

Topics: classic

When the wind storms by with a shout, and the stern sea-caves     Rejoice in the tramp and the roar of onsetting waves,     Then, then, it comes home to the heart that the top of life     Is the passion that burns the blood in the act of strife -     Till you pity the dead down there in their quiet graves.     But to drowse with the fen behind and the fog before,     When the rain-rot spreads and a tame sea mumbles the shore,     Not to adventure, none to fight, no right and no wrong,     Sons of the Sword heart-sick for a stave of your sire's old song -     O, you envy the blessed death that can live no more!

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"When the wind storms by with a shout, and the stern sea-caves..."

William Ernest Henley's contribution to classic is further solidified by the brilliance found in "When The Wind Storms By With A Shout"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:William Ernest Henley

"When the wind storms by with a shout, and the ster..." by William Ernest Henley

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"What have I done for you,     England, my England?     What is there I would not do,     England, my own?     With your glorious eyes austere,"

"(Ob. October 30, 1897)     He looked half-parson and half-skipper: a quaint,     Beautiful blend, with blue eyes good to see,     And old-world wh"

"Out of the night that covers me,     Black as the Pit from pole to pole,     I thank whatever gods may be     For my unconquerable soul."

"Blue-eyed and bright of face but waning fast     Into the sere of virginal decay,     I view her as she enters, day by day,     As a sweet suns"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

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.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

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

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.