The Silence of the Flame
I watch thy radiant visage from the shade,
And dare not cross the chasm of the still;
A phantom guest within the path thou made,
Suppressing hope with a reluctant will.
If but thy careless glance should brush my own,
A sudden furnace kindles in my breast;
My pulses race to rhythms yet unknown,
Though silence holds my voice at its behest.
I hoard this secret like a buried gem,
A fevered love that dwells in shadows deep;
I yearn to touch thy garment’s flowing hem,
Yet frozen stand, while lonely vigils keep.
Oh! Couldst thou read, without a spoken word,
The sovereign fire that in my gaze does shine,
And hear the vow my fear has left unheard,
To break the chains that bind my soul to thine.
This piece echoes the Victorian sentiment of longing from afar, reminiscent of Keats’s melancholy desires. It stands as a tribute to the quiet bravery of the shy lover, for whom the eyes must speak the profound truths that the lips are too terrified to utter.
