" Doll’s boy’s asleep
under a stile
he sees eight and twenty
ladies in a line
the first lady
says to nine ladies
his lips drink water
but his heart drinks wine
the tenth lady
says to nine ladies
they must chain his foot
for his wrist ’s too fine
the nineteenth
says to nine ladies
you take his mouth
for his eyes are mine.
Doll’s boy’s asleep
under the stile
for every mile the feet go
the heart goes nine
E.E. Cummings, “Doll’s Boy’s Asleep,” was first published as “Songs V,” Tulips and Chimneys. (Liveright; 2nd Revised ed. edition (August 17, 1996) Originally published 1923. "
― E.E. Cummings , Tulips & Chimneys