 | The Alhambra and Other Poems |  |
31
“He that is without Sin”
What is her value if Affection stint
Her confidence, for every dubious deed?
What is a cord if it should snap at need?
Or shield, if it should shatter at a dint?
Go, pious! tithe your cummin and your mint,—
The cheap rebuke, love sacrificed to creed,—
And gather up your skirts with careful heed,—
Lest precious self should catch an evil hint!
Her confidence, for every dubious deed?
What is a cord if it should snap at need?
Or shield, if it should shatter at a dint?
Go, pious! tithe your cummin and your mint,—
The cheap rebuke, love sacrificed to creed,—
And gather up your skirts with careful heed,—
Lest precious self should catch an evil hint!
Fair saints, that are more Christ-like than the Christ,
More virgin than the Maid Immaculate,
Whose kisses and embraces are unpriced,
Save by an offer of the marriage state,
The eye that watches is the eye enticed!
The sins men hunt they never truly hate.
More virgin than the Maid Immaculate,
Whose kisses and embraces are unpriced,
Save by an offer of the marriage state,
The eye that watches is the eye enticed!
The sins men hunt they never truly hate.
| The Alhambra and Other Poems | |