To fashion, e’en a crown of Life. And bring
Thy offerings, the first, the best, and place
Them on God’s altar, and for incense sweet
Give Him the freshness of thy youth. And thus
Thou mayest gain a never fading crown.
And wait not now to trace thy name upon
The catalogue of Fame’s immortal ones, but haste thee first
To have it writ in Heaven in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Pardon this seeming betrayal of a rustic poetess. For it seems like betrayal to quote such lines, when she produced much better ones. For example, the following verses are, to my mind, true and rather good poetry:
I have not known thee long friend,