Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (18331908). A Victorian Anthology, 18371895. 1895. |
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Song |
| Aubrey Thomas De Vere (b. 1814) |
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SEEK not the tree of silkiest bark | |
And balmiest bud, | |
To carve her name while yet t is dark | |
Upon the wood! | |
The world is full of noble tasks | 5 |
And wreaths hard won: | |
Each work demands strong hearts, strong hands, | |
Till day is done. | |
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Sing not that violet-veined skin, | |
That cheeks pale roses, | 10 |
The lily of that form wherein | |
Her soul reposes! | |
Forth to the fight, true man! true knight! | |
The clash of arms | |
Shall more prevail than whisperd tale, | 15 |
To win her charms. | |
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The warrior for the True, the Right, | |
Fights in Loves name; | |
The love that lures thee from that fight | |
Lures thee to shame: | 20 |
That love which lifts the heart, yet leaves | |
The spirit free, | |
That love, or none, is fit for one | |
Man-shapd like thee. | |
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