A Life's Love - sonnets Author:George Barlow General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1882 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: Queen Beauty. III. QUEEN BEAUTY. Backward Queen Beauty darts her maiden glances ; With lips that quiver as she glances back, The poet urges on the sweet attack, With feet that flutter, and with heart that dances. The distance all her loveliness enhances ; He sinks exhausted, footsteps growing slack, -- She waits him at some turning of the track, Till once again hope's tremulous flood advances. So goes it: but from time to time he seizes Some cadence of the melody she sings, And even that distant silver echo pleases His spirit more than any earthly things, -- And the odour of her hair on flying breezes Mad worship and a wilder longing brings. io FRUITION. IV. FRUITION. O Beauty, kiss me, kiss me on the lips: As frightened children to their mother cry I cry to thee, -- Oh tell me, why should I Be like the bee that sucks, the fly that sips, The swallow that her wings in water dips, -- Why cannot I possess thee ? I would die But once to hear thee, see thee, feel thee nigh, -- But ever from my mouth the goblet slips. Take pity on me, O my gracious Queen, -- Immerse my soul in sweetness; let the waves Of rapture writhe around the mouth that craves, And choke it in fruition ; rend the screen ! Stand forth and let thy majesty be seen ! The majesty that slays the souls it saves. chapter{Section 4 PSYCHE AND MERCURY. n PSYCHE AND MERCURY. ONE OF RAPHAEL'S FRESCOES. A face of moulded mystery that combines All sweet expression in one perfect whole, All lights and shadows of my lady's soul: Chiefly the rippling laugh that softly shines Across the corres...« less