THE MUSMEE
The Musmee has brown velvet eyes
Curtained with satin, sleepily;
You wonder if those lids would rise
The newest, strangest sight to see;
But when she chatters, laughs, or plays
Kôto, biwa, or samisen,
No jewel gleams with brighter rays
Than flash from those dark lashes then.
The Musmee has a small brown face,
"Musk-melon seed" its perfect shape:
Jetty arched eyebrows; nose to grace
The rosy mouth beneath; a nape,
And neck, and chin, and smooth, soft cheeks
Carved out of sun-burned ivory,
With teeth, which, when she smiles or speaks,
Pearl merchants might come leagues to see!
