THE BRACELET
WHEN I tie about thy wrist,
Julia, this my silken twist,
For what other reason is’t
But to show thee how, in part,
Thou my pretty captive art?
—But thy bond-slave is my heart.
’Tis but silk that bindeth thee,
Snap the thread, and thou art free;
But ’tis otherwise with me:
I am bound, and fast bound, so
That from thee I cannot go:
If I could I would not so!
Robert Herrick.