And tho' mighty has been the temptation,

Your image prevail'd over all,

And I still held the fond adoration

For one I must meet at the Ball.

I have knelt at the shrine of a Donna,

And languish'd for months in her train,

But still I was whisper'd by honour,

And came to my senses again,

When I thought of the vows I had plighted,

And the stars that I once used to call