DOST thou idly ask to hear At what gentle seasons Nymphs relent, when lovers near Press the tenderest reasons? Ah, they give their faith too oft To the careless wooer; Maidens' hearts are always soft; Would that men's were truer! Woo the fair one, when around Early birds are singing; When, o'er all the fragrant ground, Early herbs are springing: When the brookside, bank, and grove, All with blossoms laden, Shine with beauty, breathe of love, -- Woo the timid maiden. Woo her when, with rosy blush, Summer eve is sinking; When, on rills that softly gush, Stars are softly winking; When, through boughs that knit the bower, Moonlight gleams are stealing; Woo her, till the gentle hour Wake a gentler feeling. Woo her, when autumnal dies Tinge the woody mountain; When the dropping foliage lies, In the weedy fountain; Let the scene, that tells how fast Youth is passing over, Warn her, ere her bloom is past, To secure her lover. Woo her, when the northwinds call At the lattice nightly; When, within the cheerful hall, Blaze the fagots brightly; While the wintry tempest round Sweeps the landscape hoary Sweeter in her ear shall sound Love's delightful story. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ANNABEL LEE by EDGAR ALLAN POE MERLIN AND THE GLEAM by ALFRED TENNYSON THE RUINS OF CORINTH by ANTIPATER OF SIDON THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE by WILLIAM ROSE BENET THE IDLER'S CALENDAR; MAY: THE LONDON SEASON by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT PARLEYINGS WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE OF IMPORTANCE: DANIEL BARTOLI by ROBERT BROWNING |