Poem by William Ernest Henley

Rhymes and Rhythms. 5. Why, My Heart, Do We Love Her So?

Why, my heart, do we love her so?
   (Geraldine, Geraldine!)
Why does the great sea ebb and flow?—
   Why does the round world spin?
Geraldine, Geraldine,
   Bid me my life renew:
What is it worth unless I win,
   Love—love and you?

Why, my heart, when we speak her name
   (Geraldine, Geraldine!)
Throbs the word like a flinging flame?—
   Why does the Spring begin?
Geraldine, Geraldine,
   Bid me indeed to be:
Open your heart, and take us in,
   Love—love and me.

1. Echoes. 30. Kate-a-Whimsies, John-a-Dreams
2. Rhymes and Rhythms. 13. Under a Stagnant Sky
3. Rhymes and Rhythms. 23. Here They Trysted, Here They Strayed
4. Echoes. 27. She Sauntered by the Swinging Seas
5. Rhymes and Rhythms. Epilogue

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