Love's eye should but answer the beam that invites it, <br />The glance that tells secrets true heart never won, <br />The delicate mind veils the hope that requites it, <br />Lest it die, like the fire when exposed to the sun. <br /> <br />Dear woman's the exquisite magnet of nature, <br />And love is the heart-thrilling homage we pay; <br />But beauty has not a more delicate feature, <br />Than the caution that Love should, if grateful display. <br /> <br />That name to the heart which sweet transport discloses <br />Too sacred should be for a toast or a tale; <br />And the breathings of Love, like the perfumes of roses, <br />Are exquisite death when surcharging the gale.<br /><br />Charles Dibdin<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/love-s-secrets/
