Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry. 1904.
III. Loves BeginningsA Spinsters Stint
Alice Cary (18201871)S
Good mother, so you stinted me,
And here they be,—ay, six and three!
Long shadows down my chamber steal,
An’ warn me to make haste and reel.
O heart of mine, what makes you beat
So fast and sweet, so fast and sweet?
My hat from brim to ribbon, thick,—
Slow hands of mine, be quick, be quick!
Begin to wink their golden eyes,—
I ’ll leave my thread all knots and ties.
Sweetheart of night, go straight to bed;
Love’s light will answer in your stead.
Stop trembling, little foolish hands,
And stop the bands, and stop the bands!