Song from The Silent Woman

Song from The Silent Woman

Ben Jonson

Still to be neat, still to be dressed,
As you were going to a feast;
Still to be powdered, still perfumed:
Lady, it is to be presumed,
Though art's hid causes are not found,
All is not sweet, all is not sound.
Give me a look, give me a face,
That makes simplicity a grace;
Robes loosely flowing, hair as free;
Such sweet neglect more taketh me
Than all th' adulteries of art:
They strike mine eyes, but not my heart.

Verse breaks and indentation are preserved. Wrapped lines have a hanging indent. Width adapts to your screen.

Public domain text via the PoetryDB open archive.

BRING THIS POEM TO LIFE

Commission a cinematic poem

Laurence Fuller brings verse, performance and moving images together. Commission a cinematic interpretation of Song from The Silent Woman by Ben Jonson, or a poem of your choosing, for your collection.

Open the full commission form →

POETIX STREAM · LAURENCE FULLER

Poetry made visible

Discover Laurence Fuller’s cinematic artworks ~ where poetry, performance and painting meet.

Cinematic Poetry by Laurence FullerExplore all

Kaleidoscope I ~ Green
SOHO: The Return ~ Abandoned Museum
A Labyrinth of Dreams
The Fortune ~ Act I: The Harpoon
Destiny
ReliX ~ Banished II
Kaleidoscope V ~ The Conversation
Trials of Destiny II
Kaleidoscope VI ~ Sky
1616 ~ Night Watch: The Delft Riots
1616 ~ Shakespeare's Last Day
Commission your own cinematic poem ↗