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Sonnet for a Picture

By Algernon Charles Swinburne

Topics: classic

That nose is out of drawing. With a gasp,     She pants upon the passionate lips that ache     With the red drain of her own mouth, and make     A monochord of colour. Like an asp,     One lithe lock wriggles in his rutilant grasp.     Her bosom is an oven of myrrh, to bake     Love's white warm shewbread to a browner cake.     The lock his fingers clench has burst its hasp.     The legs are absolutely abominable.     Ah! what keen overgust of wild-eyed woes     Flags in that bosom, flushes in that nose?     Nay! Death sets riddles for desire to spell,     Responsive. What red hem earth's passion sews,     But may be ravenously unripped in hell?

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"That nose is out of drawing. With a gasp,..."

This evocative piece by Algernon Charles Swinburne, titled "Sonnet for a Picture", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Algernon Charles Swinburne

"That nose is out of drawing. With a gasp,..." by Algernon Charles Swinburne

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Algernon Charles Swinburne

About Algernon Charles Swinburne

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909) was an English poet known for metrical innovation and bold themes. His "Atalanta in Calydon" and "Poems and Ballads" challenged Victorian conventions with their musical intensity and controversial subject matter.

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