And forty, though they say you are, Time's touch
Lies soft upon your plumpness—and of that,
Say, can one have too much?
Oh no, my liege, my gracious Grande Duchesse,
However variously our ways incline,
You find us all before your sweet address,
Natives of Gérolstein.
This poem proceeds to describe, at considerable length, the leading actresses then appearing in the Paris theatres and music halls.
From Edward VII., 1876.