Read "A Guiltless Lady Imprisoned: After Penanced" by Alice Meynell online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
HARK, fair one, how whate'er here is
Doth laugh and sing at thy distress,
Not out of hate to thy relief,
But joy-to enjoy thee, though in grief.
See! that which chains you, you chain here,
The prison is thy prisoner;
How much thy jailor's keeper art!
He binds thy hands, but thou his heart.
The gyves to rase so smooth a skin / Are so unto themselves within; / But, blest to kiss so fair an arm, / Haste to be happy with that harm;
And play about thy wanton wrist, / As if in them thou so wert dressed; / But if too rough, too hard they press, / O they but closely, closely kiss.
And as thy bare feet bless the way, / The people do not mock, but pray, / And call thee, as amazed they run, / Instead of prostitute, a nun.
The merry torch burns with desire / To kindle the eternal fire, {168} / And lightly dances in thine eyes / To tunes of epithalamies.
The sheet tied ever to thy waist, / How thankful to be so embraced! / And see! thy very, very bands / Are bound to thee to bind such hands.