Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867.
II. Acrostic SonnetNathaniel Parker Willis (18061867)
E
Melting the airy motion of thy form
Into one swaying grace; and loveliness,
Like a rich tint that makes a picture warm,
Is lurking in the chestnut of thy tress,
Enriching it, as moonlight after storm
Mingles dark shadows into gentleness.
A beauty that bewilders like a spell
Reigns in thy eye’s clear hazel, and thy brow,
So pure in veined transparency, doth tell
How spiritually beautiful art thou,—
A temple where angelic love might dwell.
Life in thy presence were a thing to keep,
Like a gay dreamer clinging to his sleep.