Author: William Ernest Henley

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    Where forlorn sunsets flare and fade
    On desolate sea and lonely sand,
    Out of the silence and the shade
    What is the voice of strange command
    Calling you still, as friend calls friend
    With love that cannot brook delay,
    To rise and follow the ways that wend
    Over the hills and far away?

    Hark in the city, street on street
    A roaring reach of death and life,
    Of vortices that clash and fleet
    And ruin in appointed strife,
    Hark to it calling, calling clear,
    Calling until you cannot stay
    From dearer things than your own most dear
    Over the hills and far away.

    Out of the sound of the ebb-and-flow,
    Out of the sight of lamp and star,
    It calls you where the good winds blow,
    And the unchanging meadows are:
    From faded hopes and hopes agleam,
    It calls you, calls you night and day
    Beyond the dark into the dream
    Over the hills and far away

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a compelling exploration of the tension between security and adventure, between the known and the unknown. The dominant theme observed in this piece is the call of the unknown, represented by the recurring phrase "over the hills and far away." This phrase evokes a sense of distance, mystery, and allure, creating a powerful pull that seems to draw the subject away from their familiar surroundings.

The poem's tone is a mix of melancholy and yearning, emphasized by evocative imagery such as "forlorn sunsets" and "the silence and the shade." The structure of the poem, with its consistent rhythm and rhyme scheme, lends a musical quality that reinforces the sense of a "calling." The use of anaphora— the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines— notably in "calling you,” “hark to it calling,” and “it calls you,” accentuates the poem’s main theme.

The dichotomy between city and nature, between "the roar of death and life" and "where the good winds blow," represents the conflict between human-made chaos and natural peace. The repeated reference to sound—"the voice of strange command," "a roaring reach," and "the sound of the ebb-and-flow"— is a potent sensory detail that makes the call of the unknown more tangible. This poem beautifully encapsulates the human struggle with the allure of the unknown, the desire for adventure, and the fear and comfort of the familiar.