The Poetical Works of William Motherwell/O Say Not Pure Affections Change!

by William Motherwell

O Say Not Pure Affections Change!

 

O say not pure affections change
When fixed they once have been,
Or that between two noble hearts
Hate e'er can intervene!

Though coldness for a while may freeze
The love-springs of the soul,
Though angry pride its sympathies
May for a time control,

Yet such estrangement cannot last—
A tone, a touch, a look,
Dissolves at once the icyness
That crisp'd affection's brook:

Again they feel the genial glow
Within the bosom burn,
And all their pent-up tenderness
With tenfold force return!