Love

Sonnet. To Genevra ("Thine eyes' blue tenderness thy long")

by Lord Byron 1788–1824

From Poems 1809–1813

Love

Thine eyes' blue tenderness, thy long fair hair,
And the warm lustre of thy features--caught
From contemplation--where serenely wrought,
Seems Sorrow's softness charmed from its despair--
Have thrown such speaking sadness in thine air,
That--but I know thy blessed bosom fraught
With mines of unalloyed and stainless thought--
I should have deemed thee doomed to earthly care.
With such an aspect, by his colours blent,
When from his beauty-breathing pencil born,
(Except that thou hast nothing to repent)
The Magdalen of Guido saw the morn--
Such seem'st thou--but how much more excellent!
With nought Remorse can claim--nor Virtue scorn.

✦ ✦ ✦

To Genevra. December 17, 1813. MS. M. First published, Corsair, 1814 (Second Edition).

MLA

Byron, George Gordon, Lord. “Sonnet. To Genevra ("Thine eyes' blue tenderness thy long").” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/byron/132/.

Chicago

Byron, George Gordon, Lord. “Sonnet. To Genevra ("Thine eyes' blue tenderness thy long").” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/byron/132/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

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