A Fleeting Passion

by William Henry Davies — a poem card from Justes Mots

Davies contrasts a passionate moment of physical intimacy with the speaker's inner yearning for natural solitude and simple beauty. The poem explores the tension between romantic connection and a deeper longing for nature, reflecting the poet's characteristic nostalgia for pastoral simplicity over material or physical satisfaction.

Thou shalt not laugh, thou shalt not romp,
Let's grimly kiss with bated breath;
As quietly and solemnly
As Life when it is kissing Death.
Now in the silence of the grave,
My hand is squeezing that soft breast;
While thou dost in such passion lie,
It mocks me with its look of rest.…

Themes: love · new-baby · wedding · friendship