I think upon the idle hours we spent,
The careless walks beneath the morning sun,
Before I knew what mystic signals meant,
Before my soul believed that we were one.
But now a silence falls upon the day
If thou art absent from my longing sight;
Without thy hand to guide me on my way,
The brightest noon becomes the darkest night.
My spirit trembles, nervous and devout,
Before the altar of thy gaze so deep;
I cast aside the shadows and the doubt,
To make a vow that time shall ever keep.
So here I bend, surrender every part,
To ask of thee the grace of all my life,
Let truth be spoken from my beating heart:
Oh, my beloved, will you be my wife?
In the tradition of Keats and Byron, this poem elevates a personal question into a universal declaration of love. The structure moves from the past (memory) to the present (need), culminating in the future (the question), making it perfect for a groom or bride seeking a timeless expression of intent.
