Her pretty feet, like snails, did creep
A little out, and then,
As if they played at bo-peep,
Did soon draw in again.

These lines are from Robert Herrick’s lyric “Upon Julia’s Shoes,” one of the many short, sensuous poems in his collection *Hesperides* (1648). Herrick (1591–1674), a Cavalier poet and Anglican clergyman, is known for epigrammatic love poems that linger on fleeting gestures, clothing, and bodily detail. “Julia” is a recurring female figure in *Hesperides*—often treated as a poetic muse rather than a securely identifiable historical person. The poem’s playful observation of a woman’s feet appearing and withdrawing beneath her dress reflects Herrick’s characteristic blend of courtly compliment, erotic suggestion, and light, witty conceit.

The speaker describes a teasing, momentary glimpse of Julia’s feet as she moves, comparing them to snails that cautiously extend and retract. The simile emphasizes both delicacy (“pretty feet”) and the slow, tantalizing rhythm of revelation and concealment. The children’s game “bo-peep” frames the scene as playful rather than overtly explicit, yet the erotic charge lies precisely in the controlled partial view—desire stimulated by what is almost seen. Herrick’s artistry turns a small physical detail into a miniature drama of attraction, modesty, and flirtation, illustrating how *Hesperides* often celebrates transient sensual moments with polished musicality.