ArchivedLove
Poems

Now in the sad declension of thy time
When all the world forsakes and lays thee by,
I but unveil my love, masked in the prime
Of thy transcendent glories, for mine eye
Judged thee not woman but a deity.

And till those roses blushing on thy cheek
Those lilies and those violets were seen
To wither thus; till all those sweets we seek
In ruin lay, I could ne'er begin
To court thee without hazard of a sin.

Freed from all rival doubts and jealous fears
By time's rude hand, those relics I adore.
My flames increase, although thy beauty wears;
And in this temperate season love thee more
Than in that scorching heat that went before.

....Now in the sad declension
by Anonymous