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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


ACROSTIC-SONNET by NATHANIEL PARKER WILLIS

First Line: ELEGANCE FLOATS ABOUT THEE LIKE A DRESS
Last Line: LIKE A GAY DREAMER CLINGING TO HIS SLEEP.

ELEGANCE floats about thee like a dress,
Melting the airy motion of thy form
Into one swaying grace; and loveliness,
Like a rich tint that makes a picture warm,
Is lurking in the chestnut of thy tress,
Enriching it, as moonlight after storm
Mingles dark shadows into gentleness.
A beauty that bewilders like a spell
Reigns in thine eye's clear hazel, and thy brow,
So pure in vein'd transparency, doth tell
How spiritually beautiful art thou --
A temple where angelic love might dwell.
Life in thy presence were a thing to keep,
Like a gay dreamer clinging to his sleep.



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