| Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 1912–22. | | | | Beauty | | By Louis Untermeyer |
| | | BEAUTY shall not lead me— | |
| No, on no more passionate and never-ending quests. | |
| I am tired of stumbling after her | |
| Through wild, familiar forests and strange morasses— | |
| Tired of breaking my heart and losing my sleep, following a fitful gleam. | 5 |
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| Beauty, you shall fly before me no longer— | |
| Smiling, looking back over your shoulder with beckoning blushes— | |
| Wanton, trickster, trifler with weak men; | |
| Demanding all and giving nothing in return | |
| But furious dreams and shattering visions. | 10 |
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| Beauty, I shall have you— | |
| Not in imagination only, but in the flesh. | |
| You will pursue me with untiring breath, you will press by my side wherever I go. | |
| Even in the muddy squalor and the thick welter of ugliness, | |
| You shall run to me and put your arms about my hips, and cling to me; | 15 |
| And, try as I will, you will never be shaken off. | |
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| Beauty, I know you now— | |
| And knowing (and loving) you, I will thirst for you no longer … | |
| Yes, I shall have you— | |
| For I shall run on recklessly | 20 |
| And you will follow after! | | | | |
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