Mythology & Folklore

Bridal Song to Amala

by Thomas Lovell Beddoes 1803–1849

From The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse (1912)

Mythology & Folklore

We have bathed, where none have seen us,
In the lake and in the fountain,
Underneath the charmed statue
Of the timid, bending Venus,
When the water-nymphs were counting
In the waves the stars of night,
And those maidens started at you,
Your limbs shone through so soft and bright.
But no secrets dare we tell,
For thy slaves unlace thee,
And he, who shall embrace thee,
Waits to try thy beauty's spell.

By male voices
We have crown'd thee queen of women,
Since love's love, the rose, hath kept her
Court within thy lips and blushes,
And thine eye, in beauty swimming,
Kissing, we render'd up the sceptre,
At whose touch the startled soul
Like an ocean bounds and gushes,
And spirits bend at thy control.
But no secrets dare we tell,
For thy slaves unlace thee,
And he, who shall embrace thee,
Is at hand, and so farewell!

MLA

Beddoes, Thomas Lovell. “Bridal Song to Amala.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/beddoes/17/.

Chicago

Beddoes, Thomas Lovell. “Bridal Song to Amala.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/beddoes/17/.

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