Wordly
Νικομηδες,
χαιρε. νυν μεν φαινει ’απειναι, ’επεπτωκη δε ’ηδη.
Though full of voice, she was short of breath,
And saying much, conveyed little of her meaning.
Each hesitation seemed a little death--
His presence not overpowering
Still was overshowering
Her sense and all her seeming
Well-intended discourse
To but an estuary of a river,
At once powerful in its course,
Now leveled to the sea.
She ever pondered that he,
In all his perception,
Had ever understood her
And her deception
Of philosophy,
Of mediocrity,
When the very being of her psyche
Yearned for but a touch of intimacy
That never stood a chance.
They could carpe and they could say,
But never once Latinized to 'carpe,'
And she waited and she burned.
Those knights of courtly romance
Now she understood,
For though she never felt her spurned,
If attempted, she knew he would
If but for necessity.
In all the words they had spoken,
She kept three as a token
By her breast to treasure
In hope of greater pleasure:
If, perhaps, and maybe.
χαιρε. νυν μεν φαινει ’απειναι, ’επεπτωκη δε ’ηδη.
Though full of voice, she was short of breath,
And saying much, conveyed little of her meaning.
Each hesitation seemed a little death--
His presence not overpowering
Still was overshowering
Her sense and all her seeming
Well-intended discourse
To but an estuary of a river,
At once powerful in its course,
Now leveled to the sea.
She ever pondered that he,
In all his perception,
Had ever understood her
And her deception
Of philosophy,
Of mediocrity,
When the very being of her psyche
Yearned for but a touch of intimacy
That never stood a chance.
They could carpe and they could say,
But never once Latinized to 'carpe,'
And she waited and she burned.
Those knights of courtly romance
Now she understood,
For though she never felt her spurned,
If attempted, she knew he would
If but for necessity.
In all the words they had spoken,
She kept three as a token
By her breast to treasure
In hope of greater pleasure:
If, perhaps, and maybe.