A Celebration of Women Writers

"The Secret." by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay (1875-1928)
From: Fires of Driftwood. by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, Limited, 1922, p. 23.

Editor: Mary Mark Ockerbloom

[Page 23] 

The Secret

IF I should tell you what I know
Of where the first primroses grow,
  Betray the secrets of the lily,
  Bring crocus-gold and daffodilly,
Would you tell me if charm there be
  To win a maiden, willy-nilly?

I lie upon the fragrant heath,
Kin to the beating heart beneath;
  The nesting plover I discover
  Nor stir the scented screen above her,
Yet am I blind–I cannot find
  What turns a maiden to her lover!

Through all the mysteries of May,
Initiate, I take my way–
  Sure as the blithest lark or linnet
  To touch the pulsing soul within it–
Yet with no art to reach Her heart,
  Nor skill to teach me how to win it!

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Editor: Mary Mark Ockerbloom