| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | V. Her Exemption from the Common Aspects of Decay | | By Frederick Tennyson (1807–1898) |
| | | O HEART of grace, that, like the lowly flowers, | |
| Bendest beneath the storms, but dost not break, | |
| Whom in thy tears kind thoughts do not forsake, | |
| As blessed odors live in thunder-showers; | |
| Whether the sun shines forth, or tempest lowers, | 5 |
| Thou art unshaken. In thine utmost need, | |
| While iron pride is shattered like a reed, | |
| Thy wingéd hopes fly onward with the hours. | |
| Therefore thine eye through mist of many days | |
| Shines bright; and beauty, like a lingering rose, | 10 |
| Sits on thy cheek, and in thy laughter plays, | |
| While wintry frosts have fallen on thy foes; | |
| And like a vale that breathes the western sky, | |
| Thy heart is green, though summer is gone by. | | | | |
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