Two I choose to know the secret
Thee, and yonder wordless flute;
Dragons watch me, tender Lily,
And thou must be mute.
There s a maiden, and her name is
Hist! was that a rose-leaf fell?
See, the rose is listening, Lily,
And the rose may tell.
Lily-browed and lily-hearted,
She is very dear to me;
Lovely? yes, if being lovely
Is resembling thee.
Six to half a score of summers
Make the sweetest of the " teens "
Not too young to guess, dear Lily,
What a lover means.
Laughing girl and thoughtful woman,
I am puzzled how to woo
Shall I praise, or pique her, Lily?
Tell me what to do.
"Silly lover, if thy Lily Like her sister lilies be, Thou must woo, if thou wouldst wear her, With a simple plea.
"Love s the lover s only magic, Truth the very subtlest art; Love that feigns, and lips that flatter, Win no modest heart.
