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[image: A man kissing a woman's hand while sitting at a table]

Atonement

She sat on the seat beside me,
The sun was in the west;
She laughed as she plucked a ribbon,
The girl I loved the best.

The open sea before us lay,
The wind was in the south;
And merrily the dimples chased
The smiles around her mouth.

Fra Lippo Lippi, jolly monk,
Saw never such a face;
(A gauzy gown her arms revealed
with coy, beseeching grace.)

A silver path the water crossed,
The moon was on the sea;
The night was still; and she was near.
The sweetest girl to me.

And silly fool, as others are
(She looked demurely meek)