The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe Household Edition : with illustrations |
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TO A CITY COUSIN ABOUT TO BE MARRIED. |
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 | The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe |  |
TO A CITY COUSIN ABOUT TO BE MARRIED.
(S. B.)
Is it true, what they tell me, my beautiful cousin,
You are going to be married?—have settled the day?
That the cards are all printed?—the wedding-dress chosen?—
And everything fixed for an evening in May?
Ah—well!—just imagine,—had I been a Turk,
And you—but, no matter,—'t is idle to whine;
In the purest of bosoms some envy may lurk,
And I feel a little (I own it!) in mine!
You are going to be married?—have settled the day?
That the cards are all printed?—the wedding-dress chosen?—
And everything fixed for an evening in May?
Ah—well!—just imagine,—had I been a Turk,
And you—but, no matter,—'t is idle to whine;
In the purest of bosoms some envy may lurk,
And I feel a little (I own it!) in mine!
'T is over!—the struggle was but for a minute;
And now let me give you, dear cousin, I pray,
A word of advice,—if there 's anything in it,
Accept it; if not, you can throw it away.
An excellent maxim is “crede experto”;
Which means (since your Latin I venture to doubt)
For practical wisdom 't is best to refer to
A teacher who knows what he 's talking about.
And now let me give you, dear cousin, I pray,
A word of advice,—if there 's anything in it,
Accept it; if not, you can throw it away.
An excellent maxim is “crede experto”;
Which means (since your Latin I venture to doubt)
For practical wisdom 't is best to refer to
A teacher who knows what he 's talking about.
C'est moi! I 've been married this many a year;
And know rather more than a bachelor can,
And more—I suppose it is equally clear—
Than a very young wife or a new-married man.
Of course there'll be matters to worry and vex,
But woman is mighty, and Patience endures;
And ours—recollect—is the (much) “softer sex,”
Though we (not very gallantly) say it of yours!
And know rather more than a bachelor can,
And more—I suppose it is equally clear—
Than a very young wife or a new-married man.
Of course there'll be matters to worry and vex,
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And ours—recollect—is the (much) “softer sex,”
Though we (not very gallantly) say it of yours!
The strong should be merciful! Woman we find,
Though weaker in body, surpassing us still
In virtue; and strong—very strong in her mind,
(When she knows what it is!)—not to mention her will.
Be gentle! How hard you will find it to bear
When your husband is wrong; and as difficult, quite,
In the other contingency,—not at all rare,—
When you 're forced, in your heart, to confess he was right!
Though weaker in body, surpassing us still
In virtue; and strong—very strong in her mind,
(When she knows what it is!)—not to mention her will.
Be gentle! How hard you will find it to bear
When your husband is wrong; and as difficult, quite,
In the other contingency,—not at all rare,—
When you 're forced, in your heart, to confess he was right!
Be careful of trifles: a maxim of weight
In questions affecting the heart or the head;
In wedlock, consider how often the fate
Of the gravest affairs may depend on a thread.
On a button perhaps! Ah! the “conjugal tie”
Should never be strained to its ultimate test;
Full many a matron has found, with a sigh,
That the fixture was barely a button, at best!
In questions affecting the heart or the head;
In wedlock, consider how often the fate
Of the gravest affairs may depend on a thread.
On a button perhaps! Ah! the “conjugal tie”
Should never be strained to its ultimate test;
Full many a matron has found, with a sigh,
That the fixture was barely a button, at best!
A truce to our jesting. While friends by the dozen
Their kind gratulations are fain to employ;
None more than your poet—your mirth-loving cousin—
Puts his heart in the words while he 's “wishing you joy.”
Quite through to its close may your conjugal life
Maintain the impressions with which it began;
The women still saying, “I envy the wife,”
And husbands exclaiming, “I envy the man!”
Their kind gratulations are fain to employ;
None more than your poet—your mirth-loving cousin—
Puts his heart in the words while he 's “wishing you joy.”
Quite through to its close may your conjugal life
Maintain the impressions with which it began;
The women still saying, “I envy the wife,”
And husbands exclaiming, “I envy the man!”
May 25, 1870.
| The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe | |