Erotica/How Shall I Woo Thee?

by Arthur Clark Kennedy

How Shall I Woo Thee?

How shall I woo thee, Love?Under the lang'rous noon,Bringing thee roses redAnd redder gold, to spreadSpeech till thy senses swoon?Or when the twilight falls,With the soft aidOf music, heavenly maid,Scaling thy walls?

How shall I win thee, Love?Standing forth in the sun,Claiming thee as the meedOf some heroic deedGreatly dared, greatly done?Or with my wistful eyes,Flattering thy sunny face,Praising thy stately grace,Silence's prize?

How shall I wear thee, Love?Throned mid the flaunting^{[errata 1]} crowd,Lifted aloft and crownedWith men's applause, the soundMaking me proud?Or shrined within my heart,Hidden where none may come,Under a golden domeAlways apart.

1. Original: flaunted was amended to flaunting: detail