Death & Dying
Messalina
From Poems & Ballads (First Series)
Death & Dying
I am the queen of Italy.
These were the signs God set on me;
A barren beauty subtle and sleek,
Curled carven hair, and cheeks worn wan
With fierce false lips of many a man,
Large temples where the blood ran weak,
A mouth athirst and amorous
And hungering as the grave's mouth does
That, being an-hungred, cannot speak.
Cite this poem
MLA
Swinburne, Algernon Charles. “Messalina.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/swinburne/557/.
Chicago
Swinburne, Algernon Charles. “Messalina.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/swinburne/557/.
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