Poems (1898)/A Valentine

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For works with similar titles, see A Valentine.

This poem was not included in Mrs. Coates' collected Poems (1916, in 2 vols.).

603969Poems (1898) — A ValentineFlorence Earle Coates

A VALENTINE

Fear not that I shall tell the world,
O lady mine, how sweet thou art,
Fear not that others so shall gain
The secret of my heart;
For though my lips should carol praise
From night till morn, from morn till eve,
Thy loveliness, O lady mine,
Who had not known could not believe!


To praise the rose is not to paint
Its perfume, in the air afloat;
No words can voice the violet,
Or trill the throstle's note;
Nor may I fondly hope in song
Thy mystic graces to impart,—
Who hath not known thee, lady mine,
Will never dream how sweet thou art!