To Nellie | I ask thee for a kiss no more

by Francis Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer (1852 - 1923)

To Nellie

Language: English

Available translation(s): FRE

I ask thee for a kiss no more.
As once I ask (and not in vain);
For now thy spirit I adore,
To wed thy spirit I am fain.

Thy face is fair, thine eyes are fond
Thy form was cast in beauty's mould;
But far beneath, or far beyond,
Dwells she, whom I would fain enfold:

She tends a shrine of vestal fire,
A fount of virgin fancy sips;
Immured from intimate desire,
She hides her heart and locks her lips.

Mock me no more, but let us wed!
Come forth, come forth, secluded bride!
No other way, when we are dead,
Shall we rejoice that we have died.

Authorship:

by Francis Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer (1852 - 1923) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Isaac Albéniz (1860 - 1909), "To Nellie", 1896, published 1896 [voice and piano], from To Nellie, no. 4, Paris, Au Ménestrel-Heugel [
text verified 1 time
]

Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Jean-Pierre Granger

This text was added to the website: 2009-11-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 110