Teresa and Other Poems By James Rhoades |
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THE SILENT POOL
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 | Teresa and Other Poems |  |
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XVI
THE SILENT POOL
Was ever lake so calm, so clear, so deep?
Distinct as birds in a blue heaven might show
The fish lie poised, or, flashing to and fro,
Shiver the crystal surface as they leap.
Yet, Silent Pool, funereal boughs o'erweep
Thy margin, and about thy bason cold
Black horror broods. Nor is the tale untold—
Making the blood freeze and the flesh to creep—
How, centuries since, as her pure limbs she laves
Here, 'twixt thy banks, a maid who might not win
From that vile prince to save her maidenhead,
Sought deeper refuge, till she took the waves
For garments of her shame, and, robed herein,
Sank to thy silver floor—her virgin bed.
| Teresa and Other Poems | |