War, the Liberator, and Other Pieces/To the Unknown Love
For works with similar titles, see To The Unknown Love.
TO THE UNKNOWN LOVE
A DAY ago, quite suddenly,
Hell opened all its gulf to me,
I could not tell what I must do,
And so I tried to think of you,
And hoped that I might see your eyes
Just for a moment, and be wise.
But you were looking far away
Upon a green and crimson spray,
The rose-tree flung across your way.
And with the perfect sight of you
The blossom took a braver hue,
And sucked your wisdom like the dew,
Your beauty like a summer shower.
Never before was any flower
So fair and wise as was this rose
With seeing you.
With seeing you. And yet, who knows,
If I had seen your dear grave eyes,
Which made the little flower so wise,
Just for a moment ere I fell,
Perhaps I had been wise as well.
Hell opened all its gulf to me,
I could not tell what I must do,
And so I tried to think of you,
And hoped that I might see your eyes
Just for a moment, and be wise.
But you were looking far away
Upon a green and crimson spray,
The rose-tree flung across your way.
And with the perfect sight of you
The blossom took a braver hue,
And sucked your wisdom like the dew,
Your beauty like a summer shower.
Never before was any flower
So fair and wise as was this rose
With seeing you.
With seeing you. And yet, who knows,
If I had seen your dear grave eyes,
Which made the little flower so wise,
Just for a moment ere I fell,
Perhaps I had been wise as well.