John Godfrey Saxe Poems

It was six men of Indostan, to learning much inclined,
who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind),
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A Tale of the Talmud

When Solomon was reigning in his glory,
Unto his throne the Queen of Sheba came,
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Give me kisses! Do not stay,
Counting in that careful way.
All the coins your lips can print
Never will exhaust the mint.
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Dum tacent clamant

INGLORIOUS friend! most confident I am
Thy life is one of very little ease;
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COME, listen all unto my song;
It is no silly fable;
'T is all about the mighty cord
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Do I love thee? Ask the bee
If she loves the flowery lea,
Where the honeysuckle blows
And the fragrant clover grows.
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I know a girl with teeth of pearl,
And shoulders white as snow;
She lives, - ah well,
I must not tell, -
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Kiss me softly and speak to me low;
Malice has ever a vigilant ear;
What if Malice were lurking near?
Kiss me, dear!
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I know, Justine, you speak me fair
As often as we meet;
And 'tis a luxury, I swear,
To hear a voice so sweet;
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A maiden, with a garland on her head,
Sat in her bower between two lovers: one
Wore such a wreath as hers; the other none.
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