To Robert Batty, M.D., On His Giving Me A Lock Of Milton's Hair
It lies before me there, and my own breath Stirs its thin outer threads, as though beside The living head I stood in honoured pride, Talking of lovely things that conquer death. Perhaps he pressed it once, or underneath Ran his fine fingers when he leant, blank-eyed, And saw in fancy Adam and his bride With their heaped locks, or his own Delphic wreath. There seems a love in hair, though it be dead. It is the gentlest, yet the strongest thread Of our frail plant,--a blossom from the tree Surviving the proud trunk; as if it said, Patience and gentleness in power. In me Behold affectionate eternity.
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"It lies before me there, and my own breath..."
"To Robert Batty, M.D., On His Giving Me A Lock Of Milton's Hair" is a quintessential example of James Henry Leigh Hunt's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...