Nature

With His Songs and Her Days to His Lady and to Love

by Ernest Dowson 1867–1900

From The Poems and Prose of Ernest Dowson, With a Memoir by Arthur Symons

Nature

Violets and leaves of vine,
Into a frail, fair wreath
We gather and entwine:
A wreath for Love to wear,
Fragrant as his own breath,
To crown his brow divine,
All day till night is near.
Violets and leaves of vine
We gather and entwine.

Violets and leaves of vine
For Love that lives a day,
We gather and entwine.
All day till Love is dead,
Till eve falls, cold and gray,
These blossoms, yours and mine,
Love wears upon his head,
Violets and leaves of vine
We gather and entwine.

Violets and leaves of vine,
For Love when poor Love dies
We gather and entwine.
This wreath that lives a day
Over his pale, cold eyes,
Kissed shut by Proserpine,
At set of sun we lay:
Violets and leaves of vine
We gather and entwine.

MLA

Dowson, Ernest. “With His Songs and Her Days to His Lady and to Love.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/dowson/0/.

Chicago

Dowson, Ernest. “With His Songs and Her Days to His Lady and to Love.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/dowson/0/.

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