To an Intruder
Because I show a guarded face To all the world but one or two, And in my heart's most secret place
Consider lilies, why should you Whose roses grow in common ground Profane the cloister I have found?
Aline Kilmer
Because I show a guarded face To all the world but one or two, And in my heart's most secret place
Consider lilies, why should you Whose roses grow in common ground Profane the cloister I have found?
The speaker is defending her inner life from someone who wants in. She admits she keeps a guarded face with almost everyone, revealing herself only to one or two trusted people. In her most private self, she contemplates lilies—an image of something delicate, rare, and set apart.
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