PALER, and yet a thousand times more fair Than in thy girlhood's freshest bloom, art thou: A softer sun-flush tints thy golden hair, A sweeter grace adorns thy gentle brow. Lips that shall call thee "Mother!" at thy breast Feed the young life, wherein thy nature feels Its dear fulfillment: little hands are pressed On the white fountain Love alone unseals. Look down, and let Life's tender daybreak throw A second radiance on thy ripened hour: Retrace thy own forgotten advent so, And in the bud behold thy perfect flower. The father in his child beholds this truth, His perfect manhood has assumed its reign: Thou wear'st anew the roses of thy youth,-- The mother in her child is born again. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...OCTAVES: 16 by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON PORTRAIT OF A MOTOR CAR by CARL SANDBURG WOMAN'S CONSTANCY by JOHN DONNE HONEY DRIPPING FROM THE COMB by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY TIPPERARY: 3. AS THE INTERLINEARS MIGHT TAKE IT FROM XENOPHON by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS THE HYMNARY: 361. ST. JOHN BAPTIST by BEDE |