Love

Her Hair

by James Whitcomb Riley 1849–1916

From Afterwhiles (1887)

Love

The beauty of her hair bewilders me--
Pouring adown the brow, its cloven tide
Swirling about the ears on either side
And storming round the neck tumultuously:
Or like the lights of old antiquity
Through mullioned windows, in cathedrals wide
Spilled moltenly o'er figures deified
In chastest marble, nude of drapery.
And so I love it--. Either unconfined;
Or plaited in close braidings manifold;
Or smoothly drawn; or indolently twined
In careless knots whose coilings come unrolled
At any lightest kiss; or by the wind
Whipped out in flossy ravellings of gold.

MLA

Riley, James Whitcomb. “Her Hair.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/riley/232/.

Chicago

Riley, James Whitcomb. “Her Hair.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/riley/232/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

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