171. Songs of Deliverance by Orrick Johns. II. Virgins. Monroe, Harriet, ed. 1917. The New Poetry: An Anthology

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

171. Songs of Deliverance

II. Virgins

By Orrick Johns


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,	5
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.	10