Poem: Silentium Amoris

Portrait of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde 1854–1900
46Poems

Poem: Silentium Amoris

As often-times the too resplendent sun Hurries the pallid and reluctant moon Back to her sombre cave, ere she hath won A single ballad from the nightingale, So doth thy Beauty make my lips to fail, And all my sweetest singing out of tune.

And as at dawn across the level mead On wings impetuous some wind will come, And with its too harsh kisses break the reed Which was its only instrument of song, So my too stormy passions work me wrong, And for excess of Love my Love is dumb.

But surely unto Thee mine eyes did show Why I am silent, and my lute unstrung; Else it were better we should part, and go, Thou to some lips of sweeter melody, And I to nurse the barren memory Of unkissed kisses, and songs never sung.

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  1. T United States

    quite possibly the bbest poem i've ever read. Once u do an analysis of it everything becomes clear... look in between the lines Wilde leaves clues to universal truths

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