Seven—even—Eve.
My first is of illustrious line,
Of beauteous form and face divine;
Which when my second does assail,
Both form and beauty then do fail;
My whole an arduous task to do
With wives who hoity-toity ways pursue.
Man-age.
A stranger comes from foreign shores,
Perchance to seek relief;
Curtail him, and you find his tale
Unworthy of belief;
Curtailed again, you recognize
An old Egyptian chief.
Alien—a lie—Ali.
An ugly little fellow, that some might call a pet,
Was easily transmuted to a parson when he ate;
And when he set off running, an Irishman was he;
Then took to wildly raving, and hung upon a tree.
Cur, cur-ate, Cur-ran, cur-rant.
Ere Adam was, my early days began;
I ape each creature, and resemble man;
I gently creep o'er tops of tender grass,
Nor leave the least impression where I pass;
Touch me you may, but I can ne'er be felt,
Nor ever yet was tasted, heard, or smelt,
Yet seen each day; if not, be sure at night
You'll quickly find me out by candlelight.
Shadow.
'Twas whispered in Heaven, 'twas muttered in Hell,
And echo caught faintly the sound as it fell;
On the confines of earth 'twas permitted to rest,
And the depths of the ocean its presence confessed.
'Twill be found in the sphere when 'tis riven asunder,
Be seen in the lightning, and heard in the thunder.
'Twas allotted to man with his earliest breath,
Attends at his birth, and awaits him in death;
It presides o'er his happiness, honor, and health,
Is the prop of his house, and the end of his wealth.
In the whispers of conscience its voice will be found,
Nor e'en in the whirlwind of passion be drowned.
In the heaps of the miser 'tis hoarded with care,
But is sure to be lost by his prodigal heir.
'Twill not soften the heart, and though deaf to the ear,
'Twill make it acutely and instantly hear.
Without it the soldier and sailor may roam,
But woe to the wretch who expels it from home!
So in shade let it rest, like a delicate flower:
Oh, breathe on it softly, it dies in an hour!