Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). The New Poetry: An Anthology. 1917.

Songs of Deliverance

II. Virgins

I HAVE had one fear in my life—

When I was young I feared virgins;

But I do not any more.…

By contact with them I learn that each is a center,

And has a period of brightness,

And stands epitome in that brief space

Of the Universe!

Ah, the ephemeral eternal!

In virgins’ eyes I would live reflected as in a globe,

And know myself purer than crystal.