Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 2

Chapter 50: 16 SONG

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About This Book

A compact collection of short lyrical poems that meditate on memory, seasonal change, love, and the natural world. Many pieces adopt an elegiac or contemplative tone, turning riverbanks, cliffs, gardens, and the sea into prompts for reflection on loss, longing, and the persistence of feeling. The verse mixes concise narrative moments, personified elements, and formal lyrical rhythms, producing musical and measured language. Poems are presented in grouped sections alongside newly gathered pieces and editorial notes, yielding a varied sequence of brief, reflective lyrics and conversational vignettes.

16
SONG

I love my lady’s eyes

Above the beauties rare

She most is wont to prize,

Above her sunny hair,

And all that face to face

Her glass repeats of grace.

For those are still the same

To her and all that see:

But oh! her eyes will flame

When they do look on me:

And so above the rest

I love her eyes the best.

Now say, [Say, O say! saith the music]

who likes my song?—

I knew you by your eyes,

That rest on nothing long,

And have forgot surprise;

And stray [Stray, O stray! saith the music]

as mine will stray,

The while my love’s away.