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Poem
December 22, 1872
The Daily Phoenix
Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina
What is this article about?
A lyrical poem expressing fear that love will inevitably lead to pain and loss, using nature metaphors to argue for parting while affection remains.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Afraid.
After singing, silence; after roses, thorns;
All the blackest midnights built o'er golden
morns;
After flowering, fading; bitter after sweet:
Yellow, withered stubble, after waving wheat.
After green, the dropping of the shriveled
leaf,
Like the sudden lopping of some fond belief;
After gurgling waters, dry, unsightly beds;
After exultation, lowly-hanging heads.
So I shrink and shiver at your proffered kiss,
Knowing pain must follow on the heel of bliss;
Knowing loss must find me sleeping on your
breast;
Leave me while you love me
-this is surely
best.
Like a blushless flower left upon its stem,
Sweetening the thickness of the forest's hem;
Like a hidden fountain, never touched by lips;
Like an unknown ocean, never sailed
or
ships-
Thus I shall be fairer to your unmarried thought
Than if all my living into yours were wrought;
Heart's dreams are the sweetest in the lonely
nest;
Leave me while you love me-this is surely
best.
After singing, silence; after roses, thorns;
All the blackest midnights built o'er golden
morns;
After flowering, fading; bitter after sweet:
Yellow, withered stubble, after waving wheat.
After green, the dropping of the shriveled
leaf,
Like the sudden lopping of some fond belief;
After gurgling waters, dry, unsightly beds;
After exultation, lowly-hanging heads.
So I shrink and shiver at your proffered kiss,
Knowing pain must follow on the heel of bliss;
Knowing loss must find me sleeping on your
breast;
Leave me while you love me
-this is surely
best.
Like a blushless flower left upon its stem,
Sweetening the thickness of the forest's hem;
Like a hidden fountain, never touched by lips;
Like an unknown ocean, never sailed
or
ships-
Thus I shall be fairer to your unmarried thought
Than if all my living into yours were wrought;
Heart's dreams are the sweetest in the lonely
nest;
Leave me while you love me-this is surely
best.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Love Courtship
What keywords are associated?
Fear
Love
Pain
Bliss
Nature
Separation
Poem Details
Title
Afraid.
Subject
Fear Of Love Leading To Pain
Key Lines
Leave Me While You Love Me This Is Surely Best.
Knowing Pain Must Follow On The Heel Of Bliss;