She is fair to see and sweet, <br />Dainty from her head to feet, <br />Modest, as her blushing shows, <br />Happy, as her smiles disclose, <br />And the young man at her side <br />Nervously attempts to hide <br />Underneath a visage grim <br />That the fuss is bothering him. <br /> <br />Pause a moment, happy pair! <br />This is not the station where <br />Romance ends, and wooing stops <br />And the charm from courtship drops; <br />This is but the outward gate <br />Where the souls of mortals mate, <br />But the border of the land <br />You must travel hand in hand. <br /> <br />You who come to marriage, bring <br />All your tenderness, and cling <br />Steadfastly to all the ways <br />That have marked your wooing days. <br />You are only starting out <br />On life's roadways, hedged about <br />Thick with roses and with tares, <br />Sweet delights and bitter cares. <br /> <br />Heretofore you've only played <br />At love's game, young man and maid; <br />Only known it at its best; <br />Now you'll have to face its test. <br />You must prove your love worth while, <br />Something time cannot defile, <br />Something neither care nor pain <br />Can destroy or mar or stain. <br /> <br />You are now about to show <br />Whether love is real or no; <br />Yonder down the lane of life <br />You will find, as man and wife, <br />Sorrows, disappointments, doubt, <br />Hope will almost flicker out; <br />But if rightly you are wed <br />Love will linger where you tread. <br /> <br />There are joys that you will share, <br />Joys to balance every care; <br />Arm in arm remain, and you <br />Will not fear the storms that brew, <br />If when you are sorest tried <br />You face your trials, side by side. <br />Now your wooing days are done, <br />And your loving years begun.<br /><br />Edgar Albert Guest<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-june-couple/
