Sonnet XIII - If Only I Were Ravished

If only I were ravished in his breast,
For I do love that man with all my heart,
And I would gladly, madly live the rest
Of my short days alone with him, apart

From all the world! And if, in holding me,
He should cry out, “My dear! Let us find love.
Let neither savage straits nor stormy seas
Keep us apart,” O, it would be enough!

If I should lie encircled in his clasp,
The way dark ivy climbs around the tree,
And Death should loom, resentful of my bliss,

And if he’d kiss and touch me tenderly,
Then would I breathe one long and deep-drawn kiss,
And I would die at peace, content at last.

© 2000 Alice Park