He dances on a toe As light as Mercury's: @3Sweet herald, give thy message!@1 No, He dances on; the world is his, The sunshine and his wingy hat; His eyes are round Beneath the brim: To merely dance where he is found Is fate to him And he was born for that. He dances in a cloak Of vermeil and of blue: @3Gay youngster, underneath the oak, Come, laugh and love!@1 In vain we woo; He is a human butterfly; -- No soul, no kiss, No glance nor joy! Though old enough for manhood's bliss, He is a boy, Who dances and must die. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO MY INCONSTANT MISTRESS by THOMAS CAREW COWSLIPS AND LARKS by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES THE SPHINX by RALPH WALDO EMERSON THE COLISEUM by EDGAR ALLAN POE THE NINE LITTLE GOBLINS by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY |