ON RECEIVING FROM A LADY A PRESENT OF A RING.
A ring to me Cecilia sends—
And what to show?—that we are friends;
That she with favour reads my lays,
And sends a token of her praise:
Such as the nun, with heart of snow,
Might on her confessor bestow;
Or which some favourite nymph would pay,
Upon her grandsire’s natal day,
And to his trembling hand impart
The offering of a feeling heart. 10
And what shall I return the fair
And flattering nymph?—A verse?—a prayer?
For, were a Ring my present too,
I see the smile that must ensue—
The smile that pleases, though it stings,
And says—“No more of giving rings:
Remember, thirty years are gone,
Old friend, since you presented one!”
Well! one there is, or one shall be,
To give a ring instead of me; 20
And with it sacred vows for life
To love the fair—the angel-wife.
In that one act may every grace,
And every blessing have their place—
And give to future hours the bliss,
The charm of life, derived from this;
And—when even love no more supplies;
When weary nature sinks to rest—
May brighter, steadier light arise,
And make the parting moment blest! 30