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ON SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS (1609-1909) by ALEXANDER LOUIS FRASER

First Line: AS DRY ROSE-LEAVES SPEAK OF SWEET SUMMER GONE
Last Line: BECAUSE WITH CARE KIND NATURE TUTORED HIM.
Subject(s): SONNETS (SHAKESPEARE);

As dry rose-leaves speak of sweet summer gone,
And of a sheltered garden where they grew;
Of scented winds; of brilliant suns that shone;
Of love-lit eyes that once looked up at you.

Or as some likeness, taken ere the brow
By ruthless Time had been with furrows lined,
Expression fixed, and tells us plainly now
What like it was in days else out of mind;

So these avowals, love-bedewed, are such
They keep the fragrance of forgotten years;
These sonnets still reveal a heart—their touch
Is that of one who dipped his quill in tears;

And thus it is that now our eyes are dim,
Because with care kind Nature tutored him.



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