I love all men the better, O love! for loving thee; The dear ones whom I cherish are dearer still to me; Each stranger is my kinsman; and ever for thy sake, Beloved! at Love's bidding, new springs of love awake. I love all things the better for loving thee the best; My thoughts of thee make deeper the glories of the West; My hopes of thee make fresher the fragrance of the spring; And when thy accents haunt me the birds more sweetly sing I love the whole world better for loving thee so well; Love tells my soul the secret which tongue may never tell; I learn, when thou art near me, that loss is more than gain, That not a pang is wasted, that not a hope is vain. Even Love--the dream, the vision, that floods the world with light-- Lit by the flame thou kindlest, grows more divinely bright; His beauty wins new beauty from shinging through thine eyes; And when he claims my homage he comes in thy sweet guise. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CACHE LA POUDRE by JAMES GALVIN GETHSEMANE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON ON A CERTAIN CRITIC by AMY LOWELL |