Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TO A LILY, by JAMES MATHEWES LEGARE



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TO A LILY, by                    
First Line: Go bow thy head in gentle spite
Last Line: And make thy leaf a stain.
Subject(s): Flowers; Lilies


Go bow thy head in gentle spite,
Thou lily white,
For she who spies thee waving here,
With thee in beauty can compare
As day with night.

Soft are thy leaves and white: her arms
Boast whiter charms.
Thy stem prone bent with loveliness
Of maiden grace possesseth less:
Therein she charms.

Thou in thy lake dost see
Thyself: so she
Beholds her image in her eyes
Reflected. Thus did Venus rise
From out the sea.

Inconsolate, bloom not again.
Thou rival vain
Of her whose charms have thine outdone,
Whose purity might spot the sun,
And make thy leaf a stain.





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