Within the vault of silence, I have kept
A burning secret hidden from the light,
While fearful shadows o’er my spirit crept,
And locked my tongue in terrors of the night.
But when I gaze upon your visage fair,
The trembling words seek passage through my lips;
I stand exposed, stripped of the mask I wear,
As hesitation into courage slips.
No longer shall this muted heart conceal
The tender truth that swells within my breast;
Let bravery now the sacred vow reveal,
And put my anxious, wandering soul to rest.
Receive this truth, delivered with a sigh,
A timeless pledge my spirit must renew:
Beneath the witness of the starry sky,
I breathe at last the words: I love but you.
There are few moments in life as poignant as the first confession of love. This poem embodies the Romantic ideal of emotional liberation—the transition from the pain of concealment to the sublime relief of expression, echoing the timeless struggles found in the works of Keats and Byron.
