I longed to be a lover And pay Love all his price, For life will soon be over And will not seek me twice; My softest couch for him I spread And crept into that bridal bed To wait for him. But the Thing that came Never bore Love's lovely name. His eyes were hollow. His breath was cold. He was not tender. He was bold, And horrible his chill desire, Born of ice and not of fire. He lay with me. He took his fill. He forced me in his arms to stay. My flesh compelled but not my will, And so he crept away; But in the heart that he had chosen The mystical passion flower was frozen. And still I'd be a lover And pay Love all his price For life will soon be over And may not seek me twice. But I cannot bring Love to my bed For an early frost gleams on my head And I am a creature Love must shun. I have been raped by the Icy One. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: TENNESSEE CLAFLIN SHOPE by EDGAR LEE MASTERS YOUNG BULLFROGS by CARL SANDBURG IN HOSPITAL: 28. DISCHARGED by WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY A WINTER WISH by ROBERT HINCKLEY MESSINGER AEOLIAN HARP (2) by WILLIAM ALLINGHAM GARIBALDI by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING |