WERT thou by all affections sought, And fairer than thou wouldst be thought; Or had thine eyes as many darts As thou believ'st they shoot at hearts; Yet if thy love were paid to me, I would not offer mine to thee. I'd sooner court a fever's heat, Than her that owns a flame as great; She that my love will entertain, Must meet it with no less disdain; For mutual fires themselves destroy, And willing kisses yield no joy. I love thee not because alone Thou canst all beauty call thine own Nor doth my passion fuel seek In thy bright eye or softer cheek: Then, fairest, if thou wouldst know why I love thee, 'cause thou canst deny. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SPRING STORM by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS THE ARMADA; A FRAGMENT by THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY THE MYSTIC TRUMPETER by WALT WHITMAN ODES: BOOK 1: ODE 13. ON LYRIC POETRY by MARK AKENSIDE WHEN THE FOLKS COME ALONG by FREDERICK L. ALLEN THE LIFE OF MAN by FRANCIS BACON |