Time & Brevity

The Protean Maiden

by Thomas Hardy 1840–1928

From Human Shows, Far Phantasies, Songs and Trifles (1925)

Time & Brevity

This single girl is two girls:
How strange such things should be!
One noon eclipsed by few girls,
The next no beauty she.

And daily cries the lover,
In voice and feature vext:
“My last impression of her
Is never to be the next!

“She’s plain: I will forget her!
She’s turned to fair. Ah no,
Forget? — not I! I’ll pet her
With kisses swift and slow.”

✦ ✦ ✦

(Song)

MLA

Hardy, Thomas. “The Protean Maiden.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/635/.

Chicago

Hardy, Thomas. “The Protean Maiden.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/635/.

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