The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe :: :: University of Virginia Library

Thine is an ever-changing beauty; now
With that proud look, so lofty yet serene
In its high majesty, thou seem'st a queen,
With all her diamonds blazing on her brow!
Anon I see—as gentler thoughts arise

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And mould thy features in their sweet control—
The pure, white ray that lights a maiden's soul,
And struggles outward through her drooping eyes.
Anon they flash; and now a golden light
Bursts o'er thy beauty, like the Orient's glow,
Bathing thy shoulders' and thy bosom's snow,
And all the woman beams upon my sight!
I kneel unto the queen, like knight of yore;
The maid I love; the woman I adore!