Romance

[1922-1927.  Written in Burma?]

Burmese girl (1907)

When I was young and had no sense,
In far-off Mandalay
I lost my heart to a Burmese girl
As lovely as the day.

Her skin was gold, her hair was jet,
Her teeth were ivory;
I said “For twenty silver pieces,
Maiden, sleep with me.”

She looked at me, so pure, so sad,
The loveliest thing alive,
And in her lisping, virgin voice,
Stood out for twenty-five.

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Source: CW10-65

Tags: Burma, CW10 (1903-36), Eric Blair, George Orwell, poetry, prostitution, romance

This entry was posted on February 9, 2011 at 7:39 am and is filed under Poems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.