The world is malevolent, dear, And it says, with a cynical sneer, That your bosom conceals, ma petite, A watch, where a heart ought to beat! Still, your breast, when emotion enthralls, Like a wave ever rises and falls, With the ebb and the flow of the tide, That o'er your young body doth glide. The world has maliciously said That your eyes, full of passion, are dead, And revolve in their orbits on springs, Like patent, mechanical things! Still, ofttimes a crystalline tear On your eye-lashes trembles, my dear, Like a pearl-drop of luminous dew That clings to some violet blue. The world is malicious—it swears That your brain is as light as a hare's, And that sonnets composed for your ear Are riddles in Greek to you, dear! Still, oft on your lips that unclose Like the leaves of an exquisite rose, A subtle, intelligent smile Alights, like a bee, for a while. 'Tis because you are fond of me, dear, That the world in your case is severe; Discard me—and then they will say What feeling and wit you display! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SONG BY THE WINDOW BEFORE BED by KATHERINE MANSFIELD THE LITTLE ELF-MAN by JOHN KENDRICK BANGS AFTER A JOURNEY by THOMAS HARDY THE PLUMPUPPETS by CHRISTOPHER DARLINGTON MORLEY WITH A GUITAR, TO JANE by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY THE STRANGER'S ALMS by HENRY ABBEY |