Author: Madison Julius Cawein

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I.

    Who is she, like the spring, who comes down
    From the hills to the smoke-huddled town?
    With her peach-petal face
    And her wildflower grace,
    Bringing sunshine and gladness to each sorry place?
    Her cheeks are twin buds o' the brier,
    Mixed fervors of snow and of fire;
    Her lips are the red
    Of a rose that is wed
    To dew and aroma when dawn is o'erhead:
    Her eyes are twin bits o' the skies,
    Blue glimpses of Paradise;
    The strands of her hair
    Are sunlight and air
    Herself is the argument that she is fair,
    This girl with the dawn in her eyes.

II.

    If Herrick had looked on her face
    His lyrics had learned a new grace:
    Her face is a book
    Where each laugh and each look,
    Each smile is a lyric, more sweet than a brook:
    Her words they are birds that are heard
    Singing low where the roses are stirred,
    The buds of her lips,
    Whence each of them slips
    With music as soft as the fragrance that drips
    From a dew-dreaming bloom;
    With their sound and perfume
    Making all my glad heart a love-haunted room.

III.

    But she she knows nothing of love!
    She she with the soul of a dove,
    Who dwells on the hills,
    Knowing naught of the ills
    Of the vales, of the hearts that with passion she fills:
    For whom all my soul
    Is a harp from which roll
    The songs that she hears not, the voice of my love,
    This girl who goes singing above.

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem, structured in three carefully crafted stanzas, beautifully blends the themes of nature, beauty, youth, and unrequited love. The poet employs vivid imagery to portray a young woman likened to the freshness and vitality of spring, descending from the hills to a town. The woman's beauty is captured through enchanting metaphors; her cheeks compared to 'twin buds o' the brier', her lips to a dew-kissed rose, and her eyes to 'twin bits o' the skies', creating a vivid portrait of youthful, radiant beauty.

The tone of the poem transitions from an initial celebration of beauty to a poignant lament of unrequited love in the last stanza. The poet suggests that the woman, while adorned with such an irresistible allure, is oblivious to the passion she stirs in the hearts of others. This unrequited love is effectively conveyed through the metaphor of the poet’s soul as a 'harp', playing unheard songs of love for the woman. The use of anaphora in the phrase "She she" emphasizes her innocence and obliviousness to the love she inspires.

A notable literary device used is the allusion to Robert Herrick, a 17th-century English lyric poet known for his poems about women and love. This reference serves to highlight the woman’s extraordinary beauty, suggesting it could have added a 'new grace' to Herrick's works. Overall, the poem is an exquisite expression of unfulfilled love, delivered through a fusion of rich natural imagery and emotive metaphors.