STAY thou thy beauty, lovely shape and shadow, Whose branches five, like fingers of a hand Spread to the sun, and the uplifted palm With all its history of line upon line Traced, and now trembling in the sparkling air. Stay thou, delay thy leaves, delay the buds, Hold yet thy fingers against the primrose light, Thin fingers where the wind halts and rainbow's colours Are the sole buds and only shaking leaves. Save in thy hand upcaught, the light would droop, The primrose light would wither, the purple deepen Too soon, and night draw down her wanstarred cloud. ... Stay thou thy beauty, Tree, delay thy leaves And hold thy hand still bare against the East. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DOROTHY DANCES by LOUIS UNTERMEYER I HEARD YOUR SOLEMN-SWEET PIPES by WALT WHITMAN THE WHITE BIRDS by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS MIRTH by EDITH COURTENAY BABBITT AT THE VILLAGE DEPOT by ELIZABETH WILCOX BEASLEY GOING BACK TO SCHOOL by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET |