Death & Dying

Messalina

by Algernon Charles Swinburne 1837–1909

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.

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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