Lyrical and other poems :: :: University of Virginia Library

Lyrical and other poems

Simms, William Gilmore (1806-1870)

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FORGIVE THE EYE

Forgive the eye, that looks on thine,
Nor yet forbidden be the gaze—
Altho' I may not call thee mine,
I yet must worship at thy shrine,
Or die beneath its rays!

Forgive the lip, that calls thee fair,
Or if it to thine own should rove,
Ah! too forgive, thou art so dear,
That tho' thou doom'st me to despair,
I cannot cease to love!

178

Forgive the arm that round thy waist,
In am'rous fondness dares to twine,
No other form has it embraced,
On other hearts it ne'er was placed,
Remove it not from thine.

And yet—forgive me not—to be
Beside thy form and only sigh,
For all the sweets that there I see,
Without the kiss, the press—the—the—

“Kings are not more imperative than rhymes.”—

Byron.

Forgive me not—I'd rather die.