The Poet's Picture
Her radiant spirit stood arrayed
In such fair flesh, felt half afraid!
In such fair flesh, felt half afraid!
The dust of earthly days and years
Scarce dims her delicate loveliness—
Only the eyelids, tired of tears,
Droop low their flower-like pallidness
Bruised faintly by pain's bitterness.
Scarce dims her delicate loveliness—
Only the eyelids, tired of tears,
Droop low their flower-like pallidness
Bruised faintly by pain's bitterness.
Only her hands like ivory
Are stained a little by the sun,
And roughed with constant use—for she
Is careless of their beauty won
From dawn of life so easily.
Are stained a little by the sun,
And roughed with constant use—for she
Is careless of their beauty won
From dawn of life so easily.
Alas! that her slim feet should tread
The world's uneven stony ways!
That she should know dull cares and dread
The world's uneven stony ways!
That she should know dull cares and dread
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