| |
| BECAUSE some lover in some darkened place | |
| Leaned brooding towards the face of his dear, | |
| Till after a long silence her white face | |
| Would droop towards him, and lip to lip | |
| Half touching, fearful lest their senses slip | 5 |
| Bonds and whelm them in a clear | |
| White flood of passion, they remain | |
| Lips touching, yet apart, a fierce strain | |
| On interlocking fingers— | |
| |
| Some poet wrote it down, | 10 |
| And that old story lingers, | |
| Your only crown, | |
| Lancelot, Abelard, Paolo and Pelléas: | |
| To too many women have you brought undoing. | |
| |
| Too many women have been read | 15 |
| The stories of your fates, | |
| And always when was said: | |
| “… leaned brooding towards the face of his dear | |
| Till after a long silence her white face | |
| Would droop towards him, and lip to lip | 20 |
| Half touching … fearful lest their senses slip | |
| Bonds and whelm them in a clear | |
| White flood of passion they remain | |
| Lips touching, yet apart … fierce strain | |
| On interlocking fingers….” | 25 |
| Then leaning towards each other | |
| On limb and separate feature the glance strays and lingers, | |
| And, drooping each to other, | |
| Half kiss, half droop apart | |
| Under intolerable strain. | 30 |
| |
| Too many lovers have you brought undoing: | |
| Sick heart | |
| And great pain. | |
| You, Lancelot and Guinevere, | |
| Paolo and Francesca; | 35 |
| You, Abelard, Heloise, | |
| Pelléas and girl Mélisande, | |
| And that first lover in some darkened place | |
| Drooping to a white face. | |
| |
