The world is malevolent, dear, And it says, with a cynical sneer, That your bosom conceals, ma petite, A watch, where a heart ought to beat! Still, your breast, when emotion enthralls, Like a wave ever rises and falls, With the ebb and the flow of the tide, That o'er your young body doth glide. The world has maliciously said That your eyes, full of passion, are dead, And revolve in their orbits on springs, Like patent, mechanical things! Still, ofttimes a crystalline tear On your eye-lashes trembles, my dear, Like a pearl-drop of luminous dew That clings to some violet blue. The world is malicious—it swears That your brain is as light as a hare's, And that sonnets composed for your ear Are riddles in Greek to you, dear! Still, oft on your lips that unclose Like the leaves of an exquisite rose, A subtle, intelligent smile Alights, like a bee, for a while. 'Tis because you are fond of me, dear, That the world in your case is severe; Discard me—and then they will say What feeling and wit you display! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A CELEBRATION by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS NEVER TOO LATE: THE PALMER'S ODE by ROBERT GREENE ODE TO LUDLOW CASTLE by LUCY AIKEN BLOOD ON THE WHEEL by ALEXANDER ANDERSON PEARLS OF THE FAITH: 51. ASH-SHAHID by EDWIN ARNOLD FOR EVER AND EVERMORE by GEORGE BARLOW (1847-1913) |