For just a brief while every day
I steal away from duty
And leave the indoor tasks undone
To keep a tryst with beauty.

—Bird-song and lily-bell
—Tinkling thin and sweet;
—Sun-gold and starry bloom
—Flashing at my feet;
—Cool mist, with crystal beads
—Gleaming everywhere;
—Wild plum and pink thorn
—Hanging on the air.

Swiftly, then, I can return
To tread the rounds of duty,
Since for one fleet breath I stood
Hand-in-hand with beauty.

For just a brief while every day
I steal away from duty
And leave the indoor tasks undone
To keep a tryst with beauty.

—Bird-song and lily-bell
—Tinkling thin and sweet;
—Sun-gold and starry bloom
—Flashing at my feet;
—Cool mist, with crystal beads
—Gleaming everywhere;
—Wild plum and pink thorn
—Hanging on the air.

Swiftly, then, I can return
To tread the rounds of duty,
Since for one fleet breath I stood
Hand-in-hand with beauty.