Poem by Richard Watson Gilder

The New Day. Part 2. 7. Love's Cruelty

"And this, then, is thy love," I hear thee say,
⁠     "And dost thou love, and canst thou torture so?
⁠     Ah, spare me, if thou lov'st me, this last woe!"
⁠     But I am not my own; I must obey
My master; I am slave to Love; his sway
⁠     Is cruel as the grave. When he says Go!
     ⁠I go; when he says Come! I come. I know
     ⁠No law but his. When he says Slay! I slay.
As cruel as the grave? Yes—crueler:
⁠     Cruel as light that pours its stinging flood
     ⁠Across the dark, and makes an anguished stir
Of life; cruel as life that sends through blood
     ⁠Of mortal the immortal pang and spur;
⁠     Cruel as thy remorseless maidenhood.

1. The New Day. Part 3. 31. “When the Last Doubt Is Doubted”
2. The Celestial Passion. Part 1. 4. The Master-Poets
3. The Celestial Passion. Part 2. 4. Cost
4. The New Day. Part 4. 16. “Love Is Not Bond to Any Man”
5. The Celestial Passion. Part 2. 6. Holy Land

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