Transcription of the Poem
Love Not
Love not! love not! ye hapless sons of clay,
Hope’s gayest wreaths are made of earthly flowers:
Things that are made to fade and fall away
Ere they have blossomed for a few short hours. Love not! love not!
Love not! love not! the thing you love pray die,
May perish from the gay and gladsome earth—
The silent, stars. the blue and smiling sky,
Beam on its grave, as once upon its birth. Love not! love not!
Love not! love not! The thing you love may change,
The rosy lips may cease to smile on you;
The kindly beaming, eye grow cold and strange,
The heart still warmly beat yet not be true. Love not! love not!
Love not! love not! O warning vainly said:
In present hours as in years gone by
Love flings a halo round the dear one’s head,
Faultless, immortal, till they change or die. Love not! love not!
Caroline Norton
Transcription and essays on "Love Not" by Alec Masella | Poem Information
Biography of Caroline Norton Formal Description Explication |
