1. ۱That fawn-skin-dappled hair of hers,
2. ۲ And the blue eye
3. ۳ Dear and dewy,
4. ۴And that infantine fresh air of hers!
5. ۵
6. ۶To think men cannot take you, Sweet,
7. ۷ And infold you,
8. ۸ Ay, and hold you,
9. ۹And so keep you what they make you, Sweet!
10. ۱۰
11. ۱۱You like us for a glance, you know--
12. ۱۲ For a word's sake
13. ۱۳ Or a sword's sake:
14. ۱۴All's the same, whate'er the chance, you know.
15. ۱۵
16. ۱۶And in turn we make you ours, we say--
17. ۱۷ You and youth too,
18. ۱۸ Eyes and mouth too,
19. ۱۹All the face composed of flowers, we say.
20. ۲۰
21. ۲۱All's our own, to make the most of, Sweet--
22. ۲۲ Sing and say for,
23. ۲۳ Watch and pray for,
24. ۲۴Keep a secret or go boast of, Sweet!
25. ۲۵
26. ۲۶But for loving, why, you would not, Sweet,
27. ۲۷ Tho' we prayed you,
28. ۲۸ Paid you, brayed you
29. ۲۹In a mortar--for you could not, Sweet!
30. ۳۰
31. ۳۱So, we leave the sweet face fondly there,
32. ۳۲ Be its beauty
33. ۳۳ Its sole duty!
34. ۳۴Let all hope of grace beyond, lie there!
35. ۳۵
36. ۳۶And while the face lies quiet there,
37. ۳۷ Who shall wonder
38. ۳۸ That I ponder
39. ۳۹A conclusion? I will try it there.
40. ۴۰
41. ۴۱As,--why must one, for the love foregone
42. ۴۲ Scout mere liking?
43. ۴۳ Thunder-striking
44. ۴۴Earth,--the heaven, we looked above for, gone!
45. ۴۵
46. ۴۶Why, with beauty, needs there money be,
47. ۴۷ Love with liking?
48. ۴۸ Crush the fly-king
49. ۴۹In his gauze, because no honey-bee?
50. ۵۰
51. ۵۱May not liking be so simple-sweet,
52. ۵۲ If love grew there
53. ۵۳ 'Twould undo there
54. ۵۴All that breaks the cheek to dimples sweet?
55. ۵۵
56. ۵۶Is the creature too imperfect, say?
57. ۵۷ Would you mend it
58. ۵۸ And so end it?
59. ۵۹Since not all addition perfects aye!
60. ۶۰
61. ۶۱Or is it of its kind, perhaps,
62. ۶۲ Just perfection--
63. ۶۳ Whence, rejection
64. ۶۴Of a grace not to its mind, perhaps?
65. ۶۵
66. ۶۶Shall we burn up, tread that face at once
67. ۶۷ Into tinder,
68. ۶۸ And so hinder
69. ۶۹Sparks from kindling all the place at once?
70. ۷۰
71. ۷۱Or else kiss away one's soul on her?
72. ۷۲ Your love-fancies!
73. ۷۳ --A sick man sees
74. ۷۴Truer, when his hot eyes roll on her!
75. ۷۵
76. ۷۶Thus the craftsman thinks to grace the rose,--
77. ۷۷ Plucks a mould-flower
78. ۷۸ For his gold flower,
79. ۷۹Uses fine things that efface the rose.
80. ۸۰
81. ۸۱Rosy rubies make its cup more rose.
82. ۸۲ Precious metals
83. ۸۳ Ape the petals,--
84. ۸۴Last, some old king locks it up, morose!
85. ۸۵
86. ۸۶Then how grace a rose? I know a way!
87. ۸۷ Leave it, rather.
88. ۸۸ Must you gather?
89. ۸۹Smell, kiss, wear it--at last, throw away.