We played at bondsman and at queen; But as the days change men change too; I find the grey sea's notes of green, The green sea's fervent flakes of blue, More fair than you.
Your beauty is not over fair Now in mine eyes, who am grown up wise. The smell of flowers in all your hair Allures not now; no sigh replies If your heart sighs.
But you sigh seldom, you sleep sound, You find love's new name good enough. Less sweet I find it than I found The sweetest name that ever love Grew weary of.
My snake with bright bland eyes, my snake Grown tame and glad to be caressed, With lips athirst for mine to slake Their tender fever! who had guessed You loved me best?
I had died for this last year, to know You loved me. Who shall turn on fate? I care not if love come or go Now, though your love seek mine for mate. It is too late.
The dust of many strange desires Lies deep between us; in our eyes Dead smoke of perishable fires Flickers, a fume in air and skies, A steam of sighs.
You loved me and you loved me not; A little, much, and overmuch. Will you forget as I forgot? Let all dead things lie dead; none such Are soft to touch.
I love you and I do not love, Too much, a little, not at all; Too much, and never yet enough. Birds quick to fledge and fly at call Are quick to fall.
And these love longer now than men, And larger loves than ours are these. No diver brings up love again Dropped once, my beautiful Félise, In such cold seas.
Gone deeper than all plummets sound, Where in the dim green dayless day The life of such dead things lies bound As the sea feeds on, wreck and stray And castaway.
Can I forget? yea, that can I, And that can all men; so will you, Alive, or later, when you die. Ah, but the love you plead was true? Was mine not too?
I loved you for that name of yours Long ere we met, and long enough. Now that one thing of all endures-- The sweetest name that ever love Waxed weary of.
Like colours in the sea, like flowers, Like a cat's splendid circled eyes That wax and wane with love for hours, Green as green flame, blue-grey like skies, And soft like sighs--
And all these only like your name, And your name full of all of these. I say it, and it sounds the same-- Save that I say it now at ease, Your name, Félise.