Poems (Kennedy)/An Old Valentine

by Sara Beaumont Kennedy

AN OLD VALENTINE

UP in the attic I found it,
 In the cedar-scented chest,
This quaint, old-fashioned valentine
 To my great-great aunt addressed.
Cupids and arrows and verses
 Bound by a tinsel chain,
And under a blood-red rose the line:
 "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane!"

Your portrait's there in the parlor,
 In a queer short-waisted gown
And tortoiseshell comb that held your hair
 Like a carven, royal crown
But, oh, the Lurlei lure of the eyes
 That tempt with a mock disdain,
And oh, the smile of ripe, red lips,
 "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane!"

Lover and maiden are sleeping
 In the years' unbroken trance,
And here in this valentine I find
 The ghost of their old romance.
There's no rustle of silken garments,
 No faintest sigh's refrain,
But I feel your unseen presence,
 "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane."

Are you laughing there in the shadows,
 You with your coquetry creed?
He loved you truly, Belinda;
 'Tis written where all may read;
But the hearts of the painted roses
 That never knew wind or rain.
Hold ever your untold secret,
 "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane."

What was the message you sent him
 On that long dead winter's day?
Did your teasing end in loving?
 Did you break his heart with "nay"?
Ab, this valentine is partial,
 Its witness is all in vain
Since it gives no clue to your answer,
 "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane."