William Ernest Henley

Margaritae Sorori

Late lark twilight metaphor

Bird as symbol of final, peaceful moment before silence. Suggests life's last graceful gesture.

A late lark twitters from the quiet skies:
And from the west,
Where the sun, his day's work ended,

Sunset as metaphorical death

Visual transformation of landscape suggests peaceful transition. Sun 'ending work' mirrors human life cycle.

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,

Death as restful arrival

Final stanza reframes death not as loss, but as completion. 'Quiet west' suggests peaceful transition.

Let me be gather'd to the quiet west,
The sundown splendid and serene,
Death.
This work was published before January 1, 1931, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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References
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/margaritae-sorori/
http://www.englishverse.com/poems/margaritae_sorori
http://www.daypoems.net/poems/791.html
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1206.html
Source Wikipedia Poetry Foundation

Reading Notes

Henley's Philosophical Meditation on Mortality

Margaritae Sorori (Latin: 'To my sister Margaret') transforms death from a fearsome event into a natural, dignified conclusion. Henley, who battled significant health challenges, sees mortality as a peaceful sunset—work completed, dignity intact.

The poem's structure mimics a day's progression: gradual dimming, soft transformations, and eventual quiet. By using luminous imagery and gentle verbs like 'lingers' and 'gathers', Henley strips death of terror, presenting it as a serene transition.

Poetic Technique: Landscape as Emotional Metaphor

Henley uses natural imagery as a direct emotional language. The sunset isn't just a backdrop but a complex emotional state—representing completion, peace, and graceful ending.

Notice how sensory details ('rosy-and-golden haze', 'quiet skies') transform an external scene into an internal emotional landscape. The poem becomes less about literal sunset and more about life's philosophical arc.