Friday, July 10, 2009

A twenty-five-year-old love poem

A 25-year-old love poem in the style of a 450-year-old-love poem:

For a love letter contest at a Love Revel in al-Barran in the mid 1980's, I wrote and calligraphed a poem. I might have an image made of it someday, but the text was:


                 GUNWALDT

Like warmth of sun on rocky wall
      When summer's still was here,
As fire makes safe the darkened hall
      And melts all chill of fear,
Your nearness doth my soul enthrall—
      I long to hold you near.

Like morn's first rays o'er vine-clad sills
      As nighttime goes below,
As candle's gaze the darkness fills
      When winter storms may blow,
The gaze of your blue eyes instills
      A bright and lasting glow.

When birds flit down around my bower
      And merry songs all sing,
When dew and breeze make quick each flower
      Which glorious spring did bring,
My heart recalls your gentle power;
      To memories fond I cling.

Your love gives heat to warm my night
      And light to make bright day;
The joy you give is yours by right—
      I give it back straightway.
From deep inside, with all my might,
      I hope you'll always stay.

                 ÆLFLÆD


(It won, and Gunwaldt stayed too; probably unrelated. As I put the text on this page, we've been together for 31 years, and married 25 of those.)

1 comment:

Jacob G. Kucinic said...

That is a beautiful poem. I enjoy the ending.

I am releasing love sonnets I have created on a weekly basis. Feel free to check them out.

http://weeklylovesonnets.blogspot.com/