III
Reading edition
HOW shall I woo thee, then, thou fairest maid That e’er did stir a lover true to love? Fluttering its wings upon the air, a dove Descends, the emblem of what God hath said Was peace and love to every man that’s made, To seek on earth some emblem from above; To strive once more for that for which he strove, And see the truth of life before him laid. Thus wouldst thou lead me to some higher way Than man doth seek, to satisfy desire, Fanned by the glories of this corporal form, Made manifest by something that doth say: “Now let these senses thine own soul inspire, And brave the turmoil of thy passions’ storm.”