Let me tell thee how I love thee,
Not with somber Joy, or fading Passion,
Nor with vile Calm, or dull Awake;
But with heart and soul and reason
With sweet sugared innocence, steeped
In the colorful waters of purity and kindness,
Where friendship reigns and soon thou creep'd
Into my dearest of dreams, unending bliss,
Forever loved and yet forever ignorant.
For my pleasure lives unknown to thee
Forced pleasantness and dejected I be.
All I ask is for you to grant
My freedom from this heavenly curse,
And give a gracious answer to this verse.