I must forget thy dark eyes' love-fraught gaze

by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

I must forget thy dark eyes' love-fraught gaze,
Thy voice, that fill'd me with emotion bland,
Thy vows, which lost me in this 'wild'ring maze,
The thrilling pressure of thy gentle hand;
And, dearer yet, that interchange of thought,
That drew us nearer still to one another,
Till in two hearts one sole idea wrought,
And neither hoped nor fear'd but for the other.

I must forget to deck myself with flowers:
Are not those wither'd which I gave to thee?
I must forget to count the day-bright hours,
Their sun is set- thou com'st no more to me!
I must forget thy love!- Then let me close
My tearful eyes upon unwelcome day,
And let my tortured thoughts seek that repose
Which corpses find within the tomb alway.

Oh! for the fate of her who, changed to leaves,
No more can weep, nor any longer moan;
Or the lorn queen, who, chilling as she grieves,
Finds her warm beating heart grow calm in stone.
Oh! for a draught of that Lethean wave,
Mortal alike to joy and to regret!
It may not be! not even that would save!
Love, hope, and thee, I never can forget!

From: 
The Complete Poems by Mary Shelley





Last updated February 24, 2023