Love ere he bleeds, an eagle in high skies, <br /> Has earth beneath his wings: from reddened eve <br /> He views the rosy dawn. In vain they weave <br /> The fatal web below while far he flies. <br /> But when the arrow strikes him, there's a change. <br /> He moves but in the track of his spent pain, <br /> Whose red drops are the links of a harsh chain, <br /> Binding him to the ground, with narrow range. <br /> A subtle serpent then has Love become. <br /> I had the eagle in my bosom erst: <br /> Henceforward with the serpent I am cursed. <br /> I can interpret where the mouth is dumb. <br /> Speak, and I see the side-lie of a truth. <br /> Perchance my heart may pardon you this deed: <br /> But be no coward:--you that made Love bleed, <br /> You must bear all the venom of his tooth!<br /><br />George Meredith<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/modern-love-xxvi/
