Erotica/Once
< Erotica
Once
She kissed me once, 'twas long ago,
But something subtle in me stirred
As if the vans of some great bird
Had fanned my blood into a glow
'Twas something wasteful, wild yet sweet,
Intangible, without a name,
But through my veins with sudden heat
It passed and burst into a flame—
'Twas molten once that lava stream,
Ran with red riotings, but now
It cannot melt the winter snow
That time has piled upon my brow!
Oh! Time, how long ago it seems
Since first I dreamt those golden dreams
And in Love's school remained a dunce.
You've robbed my locks of pristine sheen,
But there's one memory always green,
Immutable, you cannot steal;
For still, 'twixt dusk and dawn I feel
The kiss with which she kissed me once.