 | Sonnets : a sequence on profane love by George Henry Boker |  |
[CCIX. When first I met thee, as thou know'st, I stood]
When first I met thee, as thou know'st, I stoodDumb and abashed beneath thy splendid eyes;
Lost in the mazes of a blank surprise,
That made thee smile at my unwonted mood.
Since then so much of manly hardihood
I have attained to, as by looks and sighs
May hint a meaning that still secret lies,
As under the dove's wing her callow brood.
Yea, I have spoken; now and then a word—
Whose echo seemed to silence and appall
The tongue that uttered it—my lips let fall;
And doubtless in the phrases thou hast heard,
A feeble sense of my intention stirred;
Yes, I have told thee something, but not all.
October 2, 1866
| Sonnets : a sequence on profane love by George Henry Boker | |