Thronged, like two dove-cotes of gray doves, [41] With wife's and mother's and poor-folk's loves, And home-loves and high glory-loves And science-loves and story-loves, And loves for all that God and man In art and nature make or plan, And lady-loves for spidery lace And broideries and supple grace And diamonds and the whole sweet round Of littles that large life compound, And loves for God and God's bare truth, [51] And loves for Magdalen and Ruth, Dear eyes, dear eyes and rare complete -- Being heavenly-sweet and earthly-sweet, -- I marvel that God made you mine, For when He frowns, 'tis then ye shine! ____ Baltimore, 1874. Notes: My Springs For my appreciation of this tribute to the poet's wife see `Introduction', p. xxxv [Part III]. Mr. Lanier's estimate is given in a letter of March, 1874, quoted in Mrs. Lanier's introductory note: "Of course, since I have written it to print I cannot make it such as _I_ desire in artistic design: for the forms of to-day require a certain trim smugness and clean-shaven propriety in the face and dress of a poem, and I must win a hearing by conforming in some degree to these tyrannies, with a view to overturning them in the future. Written so, it is not nearly so beautiful as I would have it; and I therefore have another still in my heart, which I will some day write for myself." Other tributes to his wife are: `In Absence', `Acknowledgment', `Laus Mariae', `Special Pleading', `Evening Song', `Thou and I', `One in Two', and `Two in One'; while she is referred to in `The Hard Times in Elfland' and `June Dreams in January'. It will be interesting to compare `My Springs' with other poems on the eyes. Among the most noteworthy* may be cited Shakespeare's "And those eyes, the break of day, Lights that do mislead the morn;" Lodge's "Her eyes are sapphires set in snow, Resembling heaven by every wink; The Gods do fear whenas they glow, And I do tremble when I think, Heigh ho, would she were mine!" Jonson's "Drink to me only with thine eyes And I will pledge with mine," etc.; Herrick's "Sweet, be not proud of those two eyes Which starlike sparkle in their skies;" Thomas Stanley's "Oh turn away those cruel eyes, The stars of my undoing; Or death in such a bright disguise May tempt a second wooing;" Byron's "She walks in beauty, like the night, Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies;" H. Coleridge's "She is not fair to outward view, As many maidens be; Her loveliness I never knew Until she smiled on me. O then I saw her eye was bright, A well of love, a spring of light.