Had caught me at my pastime, writing down TO My foolish name too near upon the sea
Which drowned me with a blush as foolish. 'You,
My cousin!'
The smile died out in his eyes
And dropped upon his lips, a cold dead weight,
For just a moment, 'Here's a book I found!
75 No name writ on it?poems, by the form;
Some Greek upon the margin,?lady's Greek
Without the accents.1 Read it? Not a word.
I saw at once the thing had witchcraft in't,
Whereof the reading calls up dangerous spirits:
I rather bring it to the witch.' so 'My book.
You found it' . . .
'In the hollow by the stream
That beech leans down into?of which you said
The Oread in it has a Naiad's2 heart
And pines for waters.'
'Thank you.'
'Thanks to you
85 My cousin! that I have seen you not too much
Witch, scholar, poet, dreamer, and the rest,
7. Staff twined with ivy that was carried, accord-dawn. ing to Greek myth, by Dionysus, god of wine and 1. Romney is gently mocking Aurora for her fertility. apparent ignorance of the complex rules of classi8. Classical column in the form of a draped female cal Greek accentuation. figure. 2. Water nymph's. 'Oread': tree nymph. 9. Dawns; from Aurora, Roman goddess of the
.
1100 / ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING
To be a woman also.'
With a glance
The smile rose in his eyes again and touched
The ivy on my forehead, light as air.
90 I answered gravely 'Poets needs must be Or? men or women?more's the pity.' either
'Ah,
But men, and still less women, happily,
Scarce need be poets. Keep to the green wreath,
Since even dreaming of the stone and bronze
95 Brings headaches, pretty cousin, and defiles
The clean white morning dresses.' 'So you judge!
Because I love the beautiful I must
Love pleasure chiefly, and be overcharged
For ease and whiteness! well, you know the world,
IOO And only miss your cousin,'tis not much.
But learn this; I would rather take my part
With God's Dead, who afford to walk in white
Yet spread His glory, than keep quiet here
And gather up my feet from even a step
105 For fear to soil my gown in so much dust.
I choose to walk at all risks.?Here, if heads
That hold a rhythmic thought, must ache perforce,
For my part I choose headaches,?and to-day's
My birthday,' 'Dear Aurora, choose instead To cure them. You have balsams.'0 soothing cures 110 'I
