Poem A Day

Sonnet XXXIX: Prepare Your Wreaths

by Robinson

Prepare your wreaths, Aonian maids divine,

To strew the tranquil bed where I shall sleep;

In tears, the myrtle and the laurel steep,

And let Erato's hand the trophies twine.

No parian marble, there, with labour'd line,

Shall bid the wand'ring lover stay to weep;

There holy silence shall her vigils keep.

Save, when the nightingale such woes as mine

Shall sadly sing; as twilight's curtains spread,

There shall the branching lotos widely wave,

Sprinkling soft show'rs upon the lily's head,

Sweet drooping emblem for a lover's grave!

And there shall Phaon pearls of pity shed,

To gem the vanquish'd heart he scorn'd to save!

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