| Arthur Quiller-Couch, comp. The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse. 1922. | | | | Twice | | By Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894) |
| | | I TOOK my heart in my hand | |
| (O my love, O my love), | |
| I said: Let me fall or stand, | |
| Let me live or die, | |
| But this once hear me speak | 5 |
| (O my love, O my love)— | |
| Yet a woman’s words are weak; | |
| You should speak, not I. | |
| |
| You took my heart in your hand | |
| With a friendly smile, | 10 |
| With a critical eye you scann’d, | |
| Then set it down, | |
| And said, ‘It is still unripe, | |
| Better wait awhile; | |
| Wait while the skylarks pipe, | 15 |
| Till the corn grows brown.’ | |
| |
| As you set it down it broke— | |
| Broke, but I did not wince; | |
| I smiled at the speech you spoke, | |
| At your judgement I heard: | 20 |
| But I have not often smiled | |
| Since then, nor question’d since, | |
| Nor cared for cornflowers wild, | |
| Nor sung with the singing bird. | |
| |
| I take my heart in my hand, | 25 |
| O my God, O my God, | |
| My broken heart in my hand: | |
| Thou hast seen, judge Thou. | |
| My hope was written on sand, | |
| O my God, O my God: | 30 |
| Now let Thy judgement stand— | |
| Yea, judge me now. | |
| |
| This, contemn’d of a man, | |
| This, marr’d one heedless day, | |
| This heart take Thou to scan | 35 |
| Both within and without: | |
| Refine with fire its gold, | |
| Purge Thou its dross away— | |
| Yea, hold it in Thy hold, | |
| Whence none can pluck it out. | 40 |
| |
| I take my heart in my hand— | |
| I shall not die, but live— | |
| Before Thy face I stand; | |
| I, for Thou callest such: | |
| All that I have I bring, | 45 |
| All that I am I give, | |
| Smile Thou and I shall sing, | |
| But shall not question much. | | | | |
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