L'INCONNUE

Is thy name Mary, maiden fair?

Such should, methinks, its music be;

The sweetest name that mortals bear

Were best befitting thee;

And she to whom it once was given,

Was half of earth and half of heaven.

I hear thy voice, I see thy smile,

I look upon thy folded hair;

Ah! while we dream not they beguile,

Our hearts are in the snare;

And she who chains a wild bird's wing

Must start not if her captive sing.

So, lady, take the leaf that falls,

To all but thee unseen, unknown;

When evening shades thy silent walls,

Then read it all alone;

In stillness read, in darkness seal,

Forget, despise, but not reveal!