| Fuess and Stearns, comps. The Little Book of Society Verse. 1922. | | | | A Man’s Requirements | | By Elizabeth Barrett Browning |
| | | LOVE me, sweet, with all thou art, | |
| Feeling, thinking, seeing; | |
| Love me in the lightest part, | |
| Love me in full being. | |
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| Love me with thine open youth | 5 |
| In its frank surrender, | |
| With the vowing of thy mouth, | |
| With its silence tender. | |
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| Love me with thine azure eyes, | |
| Made for earnest granting; | 10 |
| Taking color from the skies, | |
| Can heaven’s truth be wanting? | |
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| Love me with their lids, that fall | |
| Snow-like at first meeting; | |
| Love me with thine heart, that all | 15 |
| Neighbors then see beating. | |
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| Love me with thine hand stretched out | |
| Freely, open minded; | |
| Love me with thy loitering foot, | |
| Nearing one behind it. | 20 |
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| Love me with thy voice, that turns | |
| Sudden faint above me; | |
| Love me with thy blush, that burns | |
| When I murmur, Love me! | |
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| Love me with thy thinking soul, | 25 |
| Break it to love-sighing; | |
| Love me with thy thoughts that roll | |
| On through living—dying. | |
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| Love me in thy gorgeous airs, | |
| When the world had crowned thee; | 30 |
| Love me, kneeling at thy prayers, | |
| With the angels round thee. | |
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| Love me pure, as musers do, | |
| Up the woodlands shady; | |
| Love me gayly, fast, and true, | 35 |
| As a winsome lady. | |
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| Through all hopes that keep us brave, | |
| Farther off or nigher; | |
| Love me for the house and grave— | |
| And for something higher. | 40 |
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| Thus, if thou wilt prove me, dear, | |
| Woman’s love no fable, | |
| I will love thee—half a year— | |
| As a man is able. | | | | |
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