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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


FORTUNATE LOVE: 18. THE EXCHANGE by EDMUND WILLIAM GOSSE

First Line: LAST NIGHT, WHILE I WAS SITTING BY HER SIDE
Last Line: AS HER SWEET HANDS DID WHEN I KISSED THEM FIRST.

LAST night, while I was sitting by her side,
And listening to her bodice' silken stir,
And stroking her soft sleeves of yellow fur,
I gave the sweet who is to be my bride
A little silver vinaigrette, star-eyed,
And chased with Cupids; and received from her
The gold-embossed pomander-box of myrrh
She pounced her white hands with at eventide.
My sleep till dawn was all consumed with thirst,
And passionate longing; then the great sun's light
Burst through my flimsy dreams, and nothing tells
Of all the joy that gladdened me last night,
Except this little golden box that smells
As her sweet hands did when I kissed them first.



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