For a Lovely Lady
A creature slender as a reed, And sad-eyed as a doe Lies here (but take my word for it, And do not pry below).
Countee Cullen
A creature slender as a reed, And sad-eyed as a doe Lies here (but take my word for it, And do not pry below).
Countee Cullen’s lines read like a gravestone inscription. They present a woman as delicate and sorrowful—slender as a reed, with eyes like a doe—and the speaker wants us to accept that image without looking further. His tone is tender and protective, but the final request has a quiet edge.
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