Poem: “A Song for Mardi Gras” By Rolfe Humphries

I have loved loving you,
O my dear, my softly spoken.
Now the forty days draw near,
Vows are made, vows are broken,
Fare thee well, my little slim-waist –
Till Easter Monday all are chaste.

I have loved loving you,
O my fond, O my darling,
In the season and beyond,
Under moon, under star.
Now the time comes to fast –
Till Easter Monday all are chaste.

I have loved loving you,
O my linnet, O my dove.
God have mercy on a sinner!
Fare thee well and absent, love,
Moon and star must go to waste –
Till Easter Monday all are chaste.

I have loved loving you,
O my green, O my shadow,
In the ambush set between
Mountainside, moor, and meadow,
March begone; April haste –
Till Easter Monday all are chaste.

Source: The New Yorker, March 2, 1957, page 87.