Hung on the casement that looked o'er the main
Fluttered a scarf of blue;
And a gay, bold breeze paused to flatter and tease
This trifle of delicate hue.
You are lovelier far than the proud skies are,
He said with a voice that sighed;
You are fairer to me than the beautiful sea--
Oh, why do you stay here and hide?
You are wasting your life in that dull, dark room
(And he fondled her silken folds)
O'er the casement lean but a little, my queen,
And see what the great world holds;
How the wonderful blue of your matchless hue
Cheapens both sea and sky;
You are far too bright to be hidden from sight,
Come, fly with me, darling, fly.
Tender his whisper and sweet his caress;
Flattered and pleased was she,
The arms of her lover lifted her over
The casement out to sea.
Close to his breast she was fondly pressed,
Kissed once by his laughing mouth;
Then dropped to her grave in the cruel wave,
While the wind went whistling south.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
The Evening Bulletin [Philadelphia] 13 Sept. 1905: 7.
Courtesy of John M. Freiermuth.
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