Classic Poem

She should have had the state
Of a king's daughter,
Or a hut of willow branch
Near running water.

Or a scaled silver armor
For a breast cover,
Or a sweet lie in her mouth
For a lying lover.

Since she had none of these,
But a song instead,
She has well hidden herself
With the beaten dead.

Since for lack of these things
She knew herself lost,
She has well chosen silence
With her hands crossed.