The Petition

The Petition

Original Text

James Russell Lowell, Heartsease and Rue (Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1888): 100. Internet Archive

1Oh, tell me less or tell me more,
2Soft eyes with mystery at the core,
3That always seem to meet my own
4Frankly as pansies fully blown,
5Yet waver still 'tween no and yes!
6So swift to cavil and deny,
7Then parley with concessions shy,
8Dear eyes, that share their youth with mine
9And through my inmost shadows shine,
10Oh, tell me more or tell me less!
RPO poem Editors
Data entry: Sharine Leung
RPO Edition
2012
Rhyme
Form