3. The Wooing

Ah, Princess, hast thou laughed and leftSome faery isle that called thee queen?And hath that island so bereftRetained the flouted robe of greenThat graced thy lovely ruling, whenIt knows thou shalt not come again?Princess, hearken: wilt thou trustTo my stern clay thy tenderer dust?Turn to my wooing,—hush thee, sweet,’Tis but my comrades in the street!Ah, Princess, doth thine empire seemFar from the anguish here that lies?...Resume the sceptre of thy dream,And make crown-jewels of thine eyes,And rule a realm whose boundaries areLimited by my boundless war!Princess, hearken while I woo,For love is brief, and death is dueTo him who kills,—flinch not, my fair,’Tis but my comrades on the stair!Ah, Princess, of that faery isleResign thy reign, and rule with meWith sudden splendour of thy smileO’er the long reaches of the sea;And all the world shall vassal be,Heart of my heart, for love of thee.Princess, hark to me, and giveThy love to make my love to live;Here, to my heart!...Love, fear no more,’Tis but my comrades at the door!

Ah, Princess, hast thou laughed and leftSome faery isle that called thee queen?And hath that island so bereftRetained the flouted robe of greenThat graced thy lovely ruling, whenIt knows thou shalt not come again?Princess, hearken: wilt thou trustTo my stern clay thy tenderer dust?Turn to my wooing,—hush thee, sweet,’Tis but my comrades in the street!Ah, Princess, doth thine empire seemFar from the anguish here that lies?...Resume the sceptre of thy dream,And make crown-jewels of thine eyes,And rule a realm whose boundaries areLimited by my boundless war!Princess, hearken while I woo,For love is brief, and death is dueTo him who kills,—flinch not, my fair,’Tis but my comrades on the stair!Ah, Princess, of that faery isleResign thy reign, and rule with meWith sudden splendour of thy smileO’er the long reaches of the sea;And all the world shall vassal be,Heart of my heart, for love of thee.Princess, hark to me, and giveThy love to make my love to live;Here, to my heart!...Love, fear no more,’Tis but my comrades at the door!

Ah, Princess, hast thou laughed and leftSome faery isle that called thee queen?And hath that island so bereftRetained the flouted robe of greenThat graced thy lovely ruling, whenIt knows thou shalt not come again?Princess, hearken: wilt thou trustTo my stern clay thy tenderer dust?Turn to my wooing,—hush thee, sweet,’Tis but my comrades in the street!

Ah, Princess, hast thou laughed and left

Some faery isle that called thee queen?

And hath that island so bereft

Retained the flouted robe of green

That graced thy lovely ruling, when

It knows thou shalt not come again?

Princess, hearken: wilt thou trust

To my stern clay thy tenderer dust?

Turn to my wooing,—hush thee, sweet,

’Tis but my comrades in the street!

Ah, Princess, doth thine empire seemFar from the anguish here that lies?...Resume the sceptre of thy dream,And make crown-jewels of thine eyes,And rule a realm whose boundaries areLimited by my boundless war!Princess, hearken while I woo,For love is brief, and death is dueTo him who kills,—flinch not, my fair,’Tis but my comrades on the stair!

Ah, Princess, doth thine empire seem

Far from the anguish here that lies?...

Resume the sceptre of thy dream,

And make crown-jewels of thine eyes,

And rule a realm whose boundaries are

Limited by my boundless war!

Princess, hearken while I woo,

For love is brief, and death is due

To him who kills,—flinch not, my fair,

’Tis but my comrades on the stair!

Ah, Princess, of that faery isleResign thy reign, and rule with meWith sudden splendour of thy smileO’er the long reaches of the sea;And all the world shall vassal be,Heart of my heart, for love of thee.Princess, hark to me, and giveThy love to make my love to live;Here, to my heart!...Love, fear no more,’Tis but my comrades at the door!

Ah, Princess, of that faery isle

Resign thy reign, and rule with me

With sudden splendour of thy smile

O’er the long reaches of the sea;

And all the world shall vassal be,

Heart of my heart, for love of thee.

Princess, hark to me, and give

Thy love to make my love to live;

Here, to my heart!...Love, fear no more,

’Tis but my comrades at the door!


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