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Portia

by Oscar Wilde, 1881

I MARVEL not Bassanio was so bold
   To peril all he had upon the lead,
   Or that proud Aragon bent low his head,
 Or that Morocco’s fiery heart grew cold:
 For in that gorgeous dress of beaten gold
   Which is more golden than the golden sun,
   No woman Veronesé looked upon
 Was half so fair as thou whom I behold.
 Yet fairer when with wisdom as your shield
   The sober-suited lawyer’s gown you donned
 And would not let the laws of Venice yield
   Antonio’s heart to that accursèd Jew—
   O Portia! take my heart: it is thy due:
 I think I will not quarrel with the Bond.

Published in Poems
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