Woman! when I behold thee flippant, vain,
\nInconstant, childish, proud, and full of fancies;
\nWithout that modest softening that enhances
\nThe downcast eye, repentant of the pain
\nThat its mild light creates to heal again:
\nE\u2019en then, elate, my spirit leaps, and prances,
\nE\u2019en then my soul with exultation dances
\nFor that to love, so long, I\u2019ve dormant lain:
\nBut when I see thee meek, and kind, and tender,
\nHeavens! how desperately do I adore
\nThy winning graces;\u2014to be thy defender
\nI hotly burn\u2014to be a Calidore\u2014
\nA very Red Cross Knight\u2014a stout Leander\u2014
\nMight I be loved by thee like these of yore.
\nLight feet, dark violet eyes, and parted hair;
\nSoft dimpled hands, white neck, and creamy breast,
\nAre things on which the dazzled senses rest
\nTill the fond, fixed eyes, forget they stare.
\nFrom such fine pictures, heavens! I cannot dare
\nTo turn my admiration, though unpossess\u2019d
\nThey be of what is worthy,\u2014though not drest
\nIn lovely modesty, and virtues rare.
\nYet these I leave as thoughtless as a lark;
\nThese lures I straight forget\u2014e\u2019en ere I dine,
\nOr thrice my palate moisten: but when I mark
\nSuch charms with mild intelligences shine,
\nMy ear is open like a greedy shark,
\nTo catch the tunings of a voice divine.<\/p>\n
Ah! who can e\u2019er forget so fair a being?
\nWho can forget her half retiring sweets?
\nGod! she is like a milk-white lamb that bleats
\nFor man\u2019s protection. Surely the All-seeing,
\nWho joys to see us with his gifts agreeing,
\nWill never give him pinions, who intreats
\nSuch innocence to ruin,\u2014who vilely cheats
\nA dove-like bosom. In truth there is no freeing
\nOne\u2019s thoughts from such a beauty; when I hear
\nA lay that once I saw her hand awake,
\nHer form seems floating palpable, and near;
\nHad I e\u2019er seen her from an arbour take
\nA dewy flower, oft would that hand appear,
\nAnd o\u2019er my eyes the trembling moisture shake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Woman! when I behold thee flippant, vain, Inconstant, childish, proud, and full of fancies; Without that modest softening that enhances The downcast eye, repentant of the pain That its mild light creates to heal again: E\u2019en then, elate, my spirit leaps, and prances, E\u2019en then my soul with exultation dances For that to love, so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/englishhistory.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}