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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


FORTUNATE LOVE: 19. UNDER THE APPLE-TREE by EDMUND WILLIAM GOSSE

First Line: AGAINST HER BREAST I SET MY HEAD, AND LAY
Last Line: "AGAINST MY BREAST!"

AGAINST her breast I set my head, and lay
Beneath the summer fruitage of a tree,
Whose boughs last spring had borne for her and me
The fleeting blossom of a doubtful day;
That rose and white had tasted swift decay,
And now the swelling fruits of certainty
Hung there like pale green lamps, and fair to see,
And I was strong to dream the hours away
Against her breast:
Her satins rustled underneath my head,
Stirred by the motions of her perfect heart,
But she was silent, till at last she said, --
While all her countenance flushed rosy-red, --
"Dear love! oh! stay forever where thou art,
Against my breast!"



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