 | Rudyard Kipling's Verse |  |
392
THE BRIDEGROOM
Call me not false, beloved,
If, from thy scarce-known breast
So little time removed,
In other arms I rest.
If, from thy scarce-known breast
So little time removed,
In other arms I rest.
For this more ancient bride,
Whom coldly I embrace,
Was constant at my side
Before I saw thy face.
Whom coldly I embrace,
Was constant at my side
Before I saw thy face.
Our marriage, often set—
By miracle delayed—
At last is consummate,
And cannot be unmade.
By miracle delayed—
At last is consummate,
And cannot be unmade.
Live, then, whom Life shall cure,
Almost, of Memory,
And leave us to endure
Its immortality.
Almost, of Memory,
And leave us to endure
Its immortality.
| Rudyard Kipling's Verse | |