Anonymous. "Muse" and "Lady"
Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library

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Muse

   




Oh Lady with eyes of dazzling light,
With tresses rich and darkly bright,
Oh Lady of the roseate cheek,
Where health and feeling blushing speak,
And lips where circling graces wreathe,
Where music sense and fragrance Breathe,
Oh thee did nature too impart,
Her richest gift of mind and heart,
These thou hast improved with ardent care,
Turn'd o'er the page of knowledge fair,
Why hast thou natures gifts so priz'd,
And yet alass my gift despised,
Return my Harp the muse then sigh'd,
So fondly given so long untired,
A Harp forever doom'd to sleep
Lady you have no right to keep

Lady



The Lady smil'd forgive me muse,
Your Harp shall be return'd with use,
I ask'd it not the gift your own,
Shall be returned to you alone,
In yonder bower it will be found,
With clustring roses circled round,
I thank thee for its use so long,
For though I never pour'd a song,


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Yet still my mind the gift possses'd
And gave sweet feelings to my breast,
It made me share the poets fire,
And gave new raptures to his Lyre,
It taught my heart to thrill to sigh,
And brought [ Elyian] [ Elysian] fancies nigh
But while I own [ Elyian] [ Elysian] Bowers
I need not care for [ fancy] [ fancies] flowers
So take thy Harp so great my store,
Of genuine good. I ask no more,
Of real good. so rich the streams,
Why should I ask for minstel dreams,
To take thy Harp the gift bestou,
To some lover wretch opprest with woe,
And as she strikes its magic chord,
All woes forgot all joys retur'd
The Lady then her bower sought
Released her Harp and as she brought,
Her hand the Lady carelesss swept,
Acrosss those chords] which long hand slept,
They answer'd with so sweet a strain,
The Lady smil'd and play'd again,
To sweet the sounds, so sweetly play'd,
I cannot take your Harp she said,


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Oh keep it still in favorite Bower,
Surround it still with many a flower,
Let playful tenderness sometime inspire,
To touch the long neglected Lyre,
[illeg.][ The ] answered muse then charmed withdrew,
Lady I leave the Harp with you --


April 1824

    These verses susan has written in a very
handsome album with the Harp drawn [illeg.]
above them & sent to Euphemia Van [R] [ Rensellaer]
I sent them to you to know if it was right
to send them. I cant hardly make [ out] even these verses
you see that all about the husband & children
are lost as they never were committed to writing
this I told Mrs Van Rensselaer after I sent t]he book
to Euphemia -- if you can remember more of the
piece commit [ it] to writing tell me what you think
of the verses susan appeared to wish to have them
sent -- as it had been her dear Mothers intention & she
said Mrs Van Renselaer had never seen any of it and she
wont think it very beautiful so I let her do as she wished,