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Poems

Chapter 124: MISS W—— RETURNED THE ROUGE
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About This Book

A varied collection of lyrical and occasional poems encompassing light social verse, pastoral descriptions, travel pieces gathered from earlier fugitive publication, and personal elegies. Pieces range from tranquil nature scenes and grotto meditations to expressions of romantic longing and formal dedications; a prominent elegy mourns a beloved brother and traces grief and memory. The preface frames the poems as modest divertissements written across youth and maturity, and some material derives from the author's tours. The tone alternates between playful, reflective, and mournful, favoring accessible meters and conventional poetic imagery rather than experimental forms.

MISS W—— RETURNED THE ROUGE

With the following elegant Lines.

When men exert their utmost pow’rs,
To while away the tedious hours,
    With soothing Flatt’ry’s art,
When ev’ry art and work well skill’d,
And ev’ry look with poison fill’d,
    Assail a woman’s heart,

Tho’ ardently she’d wish to be
Proof ’gainst the charms of Flattery,
    The task is hard, I ween;
Self-love will whisper “’Tis quite true,
Who can there be more fair than you?
    Who more admir’d, when seen?”

Then take this tempting gift of thine,
Nor e’er again wish me to shine
    In any borrow’d bloom:
Nor rouge, nor compliments, can charm;
Full well I know they both will harm;
    Truth is my only plume.