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Home  »  Poetica Erotica  »  Sonnets to AureliaIV. “‘Lover,’ you say; ‘how beautiful that is’”

T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.

Sonnets to AureliaIV. “‘Lover,’ you say; ‘how beautiful that is’”

By Robert Nichols (1893–1944)
 
(From Aurelia & Other Poems, 1920)

“LOVER,” you say; “how beautiful that is,
  That little word!” and still you sigh it over
Till the twin syllables become a kiss
  Against the brow your lips’ light whisperings cover.
Yes, it is beautiful. I have marked it long,        5
  Long in my dusty head its jot secreted,
Yet my heart never knew this word a song
  Till in the night softly by you repeated.
 
“Lover” again! sounds not this holy word
  Worthy the gift its virtues celebrate,        10
Whose very gentle syllables half-heard
  Seem the low sigh of one love-satiate?
  Turn, sweet, and let your lips to me discover
  The final sweetness lies in the word “lover.”