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Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,

Stands and lies by me, doth what I have done.

His too familiar care doth make me rue it.

No means I find to rid him from my breast,

Till by the end of things it be supprest.

Some gentler passion slide into my mind,

For I am soft and made of melting snow;

Or be more cruel, love, and so be kind.

Let me or float or sink, be high or low.

Or let me live with some more sweet content,

Or die and so forget what love ere meant.

The Eaten Heart

from The Knight of Curtesy

“Make it sweet and delicate to eat

For it is for my lady bright.

If she guessed what was in this meat

Her heart would not be light.”

The lord’s words were truly spoke

The meat of woe and death

The lady did not know it though

And followed him across the hearth.

And when the lord sat down to eat

His lady at his side

The heart was served upon the plate

But it had grief inside.

“Madame, eat of this,” he said,

“For it is dainty and pleasant.”

The lady ate and was not dismayed

For of spice there was not want.

When the lady had eaten well

To her the lord said there,

“His heart you have eaten every morsel

Of your knight to whom you gave a lock of hair.

“As you can see, your knight is dead;

Madame, I tell you certainly.

That is his heart on which you fed.

Madame, at last we all must die.”

When the lady heard the words he said

She cried, “My heart shall rend

Alas, I ever saw this day

Now, please God may my life end.”

Up she rose with heart of woe

And straight to her chamber went;

She confessed devoutly so

That shortly she received the sacrament.

Mourning in her bed she lay

So pitiful was her moan.

“Alas, my own dear love,” she said,

“Since you are dead, my life is gone.

“Have I taken your heart in my body

That meat to me is dear;

For sorrow alas I now must die

A noble knight without fear

“With me thy heart shall surely die

I have received the sacrament;

All earthly food I shall deny

In woe and pain, my life is spent.”

Her complaint was piteous to hear.

“Goodbye my lord forever;

I die as true a wife to you

As any could be ever

“I am chaste of the knight of curtesy

And wrongfully are we brought to confusion

I am chaste of him and he of me

And of all other save you alone.

“My lord, you were to blame

For making me eat his heart;

But since it is buried in my body

I shall never eat any other meat.

“I have now received eternal food

Earthly meat will I never touch

Now realize what you have done

Have mercy on me—and believe.”

With that the lady in front of all in sight

Yielded up her spirit with a moan;

The high god of heaven almighty

On us have mercy—every one.

My life closed twice before its close—

EMILY DICKINSON

My life closed twice before its close—

It yet remains to see

If Immortality unveil

A third event to me

So huge, so hopeless to conceive

As these that twice befell.

Parting is all we know of heaven,

And all we need of hell.

When We Two Parted

GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON

When we two parted

In silence and tears,

Half broken-hearted

To sever for years,

Pale grew thy cheek and cold,

Colder thy kiss;

Truly that hour foretold

Sorrow to this.

The dew of the morning

Sunk chill on my brow—

It felt like the warning

Of what I feel now.

Thy vows are all broken,

And light is thy fame;

I hear thy name spoken,

And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,

A knell to mine ear;

A shudder comes o’er me—

Why wert thou so dear?

They know not I knew thee,

Who knew thee too well:—

Long, long shall I rue thee,

Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met—

In silence I grieve,

That thy heart could forget,

Thy spirit deceive.

If I should meet thee

After long years,

How should I greet thee?—

With silence and tears.

Well, I Have Lost You

EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

Well, I have lost you; and I lost you fairly;

In my own way, and with my full consent.

Say what you will, kings in a tumbrel rarely

Went to their deaths more proud than this one went.

Some nights of apprehension and hot weeping