Those Who Love

Those who love the most
Do not talk of their love;
Francesca, Guenevere, Dierdre, Iseult, Heloise
In the fragrant gardens of heaven
Are silent, or speak, if at all,
Of fragile, inconsequent things.

And a woman I used to know
Who loved one man from her youth,
Against the strength of the fates
Fighting in lonely pride,
Never spoke of this thing,
But hearing his name by chance,
A light would pass over her face.

Selection from American Poetry 1922: A Miscellany. NEW YORK: HARCOURT, 1922. | Source: Project Gutenberg.
Painting: “Freedom” by Willem Haenraets, original artwork.