| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | I. Reasons for Being Beloved | | By Aubrey Thomas de Vere (1814–1902) |
| | | THE REASON why we love thee, dost thou ask? | |
| We love for many reasons joined in one:— | |
| Because thy face is fair to look upon; | |
| Because, when pains or toils our hearts o’ertask, | |
| In sunny smiles of thine they love to bask; | 5 |
| Because thou honorest all, and harmest none; | |
| Because thy froward moods so soon are gone; | |
| Thy many faults and foibles wear no mask; | |
| Because thou art a woman. Unto me | |
| A gracious woman is a child mature; | 10 |
| Docile, and gentle, though with many a lure | |
| Enriched, and, in a soft subjection, free; | |
| A sanguine creature, full of winning ways; | |
| Athirst for love, and shyly pleased with praise. | | | | |
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