Reuben and Other Poems by Robert Leighton |
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Reuben and Other Poems | ||
It matters little how the squire had plann'd
To let his wife and daughter understand
John's new position; but their looks confess'd
He was no more their servant, but their guest.
The lady, ripen'd by long years and grief,
Was falling fast into the yellow leaf:
The daughter, though unwater'd by a tear,
Was falling just as fast into the sere,
And so, if all the truth must needs be told,
Was shelv'd as something that could not be sold.
Who knows but that the squire began to dream
Already of some matrimonial scheme?
A daughter ancient—and a footman rich—
Might well suggest the hymeneal hitch.
To let his wife and daughter understand
John's new position; but their looks confess'd
He was no more their servant, but their guest.
The lady, ripen'd by long years and grief,
Was falling fast into the yellow leaf:
The daughter, though unwater'd by a tear,
Was falling just as fast into the sere,
And so, if all the truth must needs be told,
Was shelv'd as something that could not be sold.
Who knows but that the squire began to dream
Already of some matrimonial scheme?
A daughter ancient—and a footman rich—
Might well suggest the hymeneal hitch.
Reuben and Other Poems | ||