The Star and the Garter

I] You are silent. That we always were. The racing lustres of your hair Spelt out its sunny message, though The room was dusk : a rosy glow Shed from an antique lamp to fall On the deep crimson of the wall, And over all the ancient grace Of shawls, and ivory, and gems To cast its glamour, till your face The eye might fall upon and rest, The temperate flower, the tropic stems. You were silent, and I too. Caressed The secret flames that curled around Our subtle intercourse. Profound, Unmoved, delighting utterly, So sat, so sit, my love and I. But not to-day. Your silence stirs No answering rapture : you are proud, And love itself checks and deters The thought to say itself aloud. B 9