Poems (Henley)/From the brake the Nightingale

by William Ernest Henley

XLV To W. B.

From the brake the Nightingale
 Sings exulting to the Rose;
Though he sees her waxing pale
 In her passionate repose,
While she triumphs waxing frail,
 Fading even while she glows;
   Though he knows
   How it goes—
Knows of last year's Nightingale
 Dead with last year's Rose.

Wise the enamoured Nightingale,
 Wise the well-beloved Rose!
Love and life shall still prevail,
 Nor the silence at the close
Break the magic of the tale
 In the telling, though it shows—
   Who but knows
   How it goes!—
Life a last year's Nightingale,
 Love a last year's Rose.