第52章 DELL AND I

In a mansion grand, just over the way Lives bonny, beautiful Dell;You may have heard of this lady gay, For she is a famous belle.

I live in a low cot opposite -

You never have heard of me;

For when the lady moon shines bright, Who would a pale star see?

But ah, well! ah, well! I am happier far than Dell, As strange as that may be.

Dell has robes of the richest kind -

Pinks and purples and blues;

And she worries her maid and frets her mind To know which one to choose.

Which shall it be now, silk or lace?

In which will I be most fair?

She stands by the mirror with anxious face, And her maid looks on in despair.

Ah, well! ah, well! I am not worried, you see, like Dell, For I have but one to wear.

Dell has lovers of every grade, Of every age and style;Suitors flutter about the maid, And bask in her word and smile.

She keeps them all, with a coquette's art, As suits her mood or mirth, And vainly wonders if in ONE heart Of all true love has birth.

Ah, well! ah, well! I never question myself like Dell, For I KNOW a true heart's worth.

Pleasure to Dell seems stale and old, Often she sits and sighs;Life to me is a tale untold, Each day is a glad surprise.

Dell will marry, of course, some day, After her belleship is run;She will cavil the matter in worldly way And wed Dame Fortune's son But, ah, well! sweet to tell, I shall not dally and choose like Dell, For I love and am loved by--ONE.