Love
Sappho and Phaon: Sonnet XLIII: Conclusive
From Sappho and Phaon (1796)
HERE droops the Muse! while from her glowing mind,
Celestial sympathy, with humid eye,
Bids the light sylph, capricious fancy, fly,
Time's restless wings with transient flow'rs to bind !
For now, with folded arms and head inclin'd,
Reflection pours the deep and frequent sigh,
O'er the dark scroll of human destiny,
Where gaudy buds and wounding thorns are twin'd.
O! sky-born virtue! sacred is thy name!
And though mysterious Fate, with frown severe,
Oft decorates thy brows with wreaths of fame,
Bespangled o'er with sorrow's chilling tear !
Yet shalt thou more than mortal raptures claim,
The brightest planet of th' eternal sphere!
Cite this poem
MLA
Robinson, Mary. “Sappho and Phaon: Sonnet XLIII: Conclusive.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/robinson_m/64/.
Chicago
Robinson, Mary. “Sappho and Phaon: Sonnet XLIII: Conclusive.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/robinson_m/64/.
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