O JOY divine of friends! To hold within the circle of one's arms More than the universe holds: So sweet, so rare, so precious beyond words, The god so tenderly mortal! Not kisses only or embraces, Nor the sweet pain and passion of the flesh alone; But more, far more, To feel (ah joy!) the creature deep within Touch on its mate, unite, and lie entranced There, ages down, and ages long, in light, Suffused, divine—where all these other pleasures Fade but to symbols of that perfect union! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE BRAVE OLD OAK by HENRY FOTHERGILL CHORLEY A SONG TO MITHRAS by RUDYARD KIPLING ON THE EPHEMERALNESS OF BEAUTY by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS THE PROFESSION OF FLATTERY by ANTIPHANES ON A LADY'S WRITING by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD ETHELWALD, FR. METRICAL HISTORY OF ST. CUTHBERT by BEDE PSALM 55 by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE |