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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


AGNES by JOSEPH TATLOW

First Line: AS STARS ARE DIMM'D WHEN FULL-ORB'D DIAN FILLS
Last Line: A PATIENCE THAT ABIDES, A LOVE THAT GROWS NOT COLD!
Subject(s): AGNES, SAINT (D. 304 A.D.); SAINTS;

As stars are dimm'd when full-orb'd Dian fills
With her resplendent light an Autumn sky:
As fragrant musk all fainter perfume kills,
And roses shame the flow'rs that blossom nigh:
So Agnes, pale and pure, thy charms outvie
The brightest stars in fancy's boundless space;
Soft as an od'rous zephyr is thy sigh,
And fairer than a lily is thy face.
But brighter still, and purer, and more fair
Than outward beauty, draped in cloth of gold,
Are those rich ornaments thy soul doth wear --
Truth, Hope, a Tenderness of depth untold,
A helpful Instinct, sweet as it is rare,
A Patience that abides, a Love that grows not cold!



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