Sonnet XXIII

To Miss E.S

Do I not tell thee surly Winter's flown,

That the brook's verge is green;—and bid thee hear,

In yon irriguous vale, the Blackbird clear,

At measur'd intervals, with mellow tone,

Choiring the hours of prime? and call thine ear

To the gay viol dinning in the dale,

With tabor loud, and bag-pipe's rustic drone

To merry Shearer's dance;—or jest retail

From festal board, from choral roofs the song;

And speak of Masque, or Pageant, to beguile

The caustic memory of a cruel wrong?—

Thy lips acknowledge this a generous wile,

And bid me still the effort kind prolong;

But ah! they wear a cold and joyless smile.