 | The Poems of St. George Tucker of Williamsburg, Virginia 1752-1827 |  |
73
Be Merry and Wise
Of all the enjoyments on earth that we prize
Be mine the choice gift, to be merry, and wise;
Mirth enlivens the heart, and the blood in each vein,
'Tis the province of wisdom excess can restrain.
Be mine the choice gift, to be merry, and wise;
Mirth enlivens the heart, and the blood in each vein,
'Tis the province of wisdom excess can restrain.
Mirth delights in the bottle, and smiles on the glass,
And invites to the arms of the love-breathing lass:
While wisdom, with caution a bumper declines,
And love with the chaplet of Hymen entwines.
And invites to the arms of the love-breathing lass:
While wisdom, with caution a bumper declines,
And love with the chaplet of Hymen entwines.
Mirth and wisdom united will drive away care,
And an antidote prove to remorse and despair;
Then, of all the enjoyments on earth that we prize,
Be mine the choice gift to be merry and wise.
And an antidote prove to remorse and despair;
Then, of all the enjoyments on earth that we prize,
Be mine the choice gift to be merry and wise.
June 8, 1817
| The Poems of St. George Tucker of Williamsburg, Virginia 1752-1827 | |