Maxioms by Percy Bysshe Shelley
O, white innocence,
That thou shouldst wear the mask of guilt to hide
Thine awful and serenest read more
O, white innocence,
That thou shouldst wear the mask of guilt to hide
Thine awful and serenest countenance
From those who know thee not!
Better than all measures
Of delightful sound,
Better than all treasures
That in books read more
Better than all measures
Of delightful sound,
Better than all treasures
That in books are found,
Thy skilled to poet were, thou scorner of the ground!
How many a rustic Milton has passed by,
Stifling the speechless longings of his heart,
In unremitting read more
How many a rustic Milton has passed by,
Stifling the speechless longings of his heart,
In unremitting drudgery and care!
How many a vulgar Cato has compelled
His energies, no longer tameless then,
To mould a pin, or fabricate a nail!
There is a snake in thy smile, my dear,
And bitter poison within thy tear.
There is a snake in thy smile, my dear,
And bitter poison within thy tear.
No change, no pause, no hope! Yet I endure.
No change, no pause, no hope! Yet I endure.
