To an ideally beautiful girl 1

If only to have met with you, my hikes
Across the borders have been worth the breath.
I never thought a form preceding death
Could strike a beauty so pristine, the likes
Of Eve’s reflection through the stream of world
Or curve of Venus, stolen from a dream.
Beyond that, though, there was no thread or ream
To link us, nor did we possess, unfurled,
A shred of speech, the slightest harmony
Of spirit: frankly, you appeared so dull.
It’s strange I see myself in you, I see
A most imperfect platform as the hull
That bears a perfect terror, fierce and free
– And power to outlast our fossil skull.