Tempt Me Not Kind Sir Lest I Fall
Tempt Me Not Kind Sir Lest I Fall …
Oh! Kind Sir, you flatter this naive maiden,
with thy words as sweet as the honeysuckle
that grows in yonder garden,
and with lush peaches to quench my thirst,
sweet juice of persimmons to soothe my lips
and nectar of grapes to caress my tongue,
I beseech thee, tempt me not kind Sir lest I fall.
Such sweet talk has ne’er come to
innocent ears of this maiden,
nor have made my heart flutter so fast.
Thou art fair to the eye,
thine lips plead and beg taste,
I blush and look away
lest you lead me astray.
Thou spake of delights and arts of love,
these mysteries I know naught of,
yet thou dost tempt me to learn,
thou will teach me all with delight
for thou art a masterful teacher
and gentle thou profess,
and I listen with affright.
Tempt me not kind Sir lest I fall.
Thou assure me of a trustworthy heart
and respectable alliance,
therefore I do trust you, kind Sir.
Yet, wilt thou protect mine virtue
when speaking of me to others?
And wilt thou keep me respectable
with promise of betrothment?
And keep me safe in marriage?
If this be so, then with you I will go.
~
A lovely morning awakens me, with sunshine and bird song,
the scent of lilacs drifts through the open shutters,
I stretch like a cat and a smile adorns my lips,
I call to my lover and call again,
he is not within, where could he be?
I will do my toilette then dress for our morning meal.
What lies here by my satchel? I have ne’er seen so many banknotes.
Perchance this is the wherewithal for my trosseau …
~~~~
© 2019 Phyllis Doyle Burns
I have always liked to write.It is important to me that writing comes from my heart and soul. When writing poetry, if I do not feel a spiritual connection to what I am writing on, I will discard it and go on to something I can connect with on a spiritual level. I live in the moment, I write from the past or beyond the veil. When writing fiction I go with whatever inspires me at the moment - it could be funny, sorrowful, romantic or sometimes done with the use of colloquial language from mountain folk or other cultural regions.
I began writing content online in 2007, starting with BellaOnline - A Voice For Women, where I was the Native American Editor, Folklore & Mythology Editor, and the Appalachian Editor. I also wrote articles forThe Examiner, Daily Two Cents, and Yahoo. I am currently an author on HubPages.
Most of what I write takes a lot of research and I love it. Even if it is a fictional story, I will research for accuracy in whatever it takes to make my characters, their era, their location, etc. become realistic to the reader.
I hope you enjoy my works. Thank you for visiting.
- Ode to Voices in Desert Sands - August 14, 2023
- My Secluded Mountain Forest Nook - July 24, 2023
- My Cozy Log Cabin in the Woods - July 22, 2023
Phyllis I enjoy reading stories and poems from certain periods of the past. Your lines reminded me of reading the “Courtier” poets from the English Renaissance. I was a Renaissance nerd in college and still am even though I may hide it in the closet. Phyllis when I graduated High School all I wanted to do was be a Shakespearian actor. Lofty dreams that never took hold even though I was able to give some great stage performances in “Julius Caesar” and a few others. I just love it, thank you for sharing. Jamie
Thank you, Jamie. How wonderful is your background of stage performance. In my high school drama class I played Eliza in a scene from My Fair Lady. My instructor thought my co-actor and I were so good he gave a special performance for the faculty.
I really enjoyed this Phyllid. I love old world language and you did a great job with it, nice work.
Thank you so much, Paul. Glad you enjoyed it.