Love
Diaphenia
From The Golden Treasury, ed. F. T. Palgrave (1861)
Diaphenia like the daffadowndilly,
White as the sun, fair as the lily,
Heigh ho, how do I love thee!
I do love thee as my lambs
Are belovéd of their dams;
How blest were I if thou would'st prove me.
Diaphenia like the spreading roses,
That in thy sweets all sweets encloses,
Fair sweet, how do I love thee!
I do love thee as each flower
Loves the sun's life-giving power;
For dead, thy breath to life might move me.
Diaphenia like to all things blesséd
When all thy praises are expresséd,
Dear joy, how do I love thee!
As the birds do love the spring,
Or the bees their careful king:
Then in requite, sweet virgin, love me!
Cite this poem
MLA
Constable, Henry. “Diaphenia.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/constable/0/.
Chicago
Constable, Henry. “Diaphenia.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/constable/0/.
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