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(Maternity Hospital)
OUR sister sayeth such and such, | |
| And we must bow to her behests; | |
| Our sister toileth overmuch, | |
| Our little maid that hath no breasts. | |
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| A field untilled, a web unwove, | 5 |
| A flower withheld from sun or bee, | |
| An alien in the courts of Love, | |
| And—teacher unto such as we! | |
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| We love her, but we laugh the while, | |
| We laugh, but sobs are mixed with laughter; | 10 |
| Our sister hath no time to smile, | |
| She knows not what must follow after. | |
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| Wind of the South, arise and blow, | |
| From beds of spice thy locks shake free; | |
| Breathe on her heart that she may know, | 15 |
| Breathe on her eyes that she may see. | |
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| Alas! we vex her with our mirth, | |
| And maze her with most tender scorn, | |
| Who stands beside the gates of Birth, | |
| Herself a child—a child unborn! | 20 |
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| Our sister sayeth such and such, | |
| And we must bow to her behests; | |
| Our sister toileth overmuch, | |
| Our little maid that hath no breasts. | |
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