And therefore if to love can be desert,
I am not all unworthy. Cheeks as pale
As these you see, and trembling knees that fail
To bear the burden of a heavy heart,-
This weary minstrel-life that once was girt
To climb Aornus, and can scarce avail
To pipe now ‘gainst the valley nightingale
A melancholy music,-why advert
To these things? O Beloved, it is plain
I am not of thy worth nor for thy place!
And yet, because I love thee, I obtain
From that same love this vindicating grace,
To live on still in love, and yet in vain,-
To bless thee, yet renounce thee to thy face.
(Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
More Poetry from Elizabeth Barrett Browning:
Elizabeth Barrett Browning Poems based on Topics: Love, Faces, Place- Only a Curl. (Elizabeth Barrett Browning Poems)
- The Sweetness Of England (Elizabeth Barrett Browning Poems)
- The Romaunt of Margret (excerpts) (Elizabeth Barrett Browning Poems)
- The North And The South (Elizabeth Barrett Browning Poems)
- To (Elizabeth Barrett Browning Poems)
- The Lady's Yes. (Elizabeth Barrett Browning Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Love Poems, Faces Poems, Place PoemsBased on Keywords: bless, cheeks, grace, weary, vain, burden, heavy, worth, plain, fail, obtain