Page:Poems Allen.djvu/195

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KISSES.
183
KISSES.
THE kiss of friendship, kind and calm,
May fall upon the brow like balm;
  A deeper tenderness may speak
  In precious pledges on the cheek;
Thrice dear may be, when young lips meet,
Love's dewy pressure, close and sweet;—
  But more than all the rest I prize
  The faithful lips that kiss my eyes.

Smile, lady, smile, when courtly lips
Touch reverently your finger-tips;
  Blush, happy maiden, when you feel
  The lips which press Love's glowing seal;
But as the slow years darklier roll,
Grown wiser, the experienced soul
  Will own as dearer far than they
  The lips which kiss the tears away!