Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems by the late Thomas Haynes Bayly; Edited by his Widow. With A Memoir of the Author. In Two Volumes |
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TOO MANY LOVES. |
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 | Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems |  |
TOO MANY LOVES.
I
When a heart is contented with one little Love,No follies, no pleasures, can tempt him to rove;
In storm, and in sunshine, that one Love will live,
Outweighing all else that the wide world can give.
But when one little heart flirts with too many loves,
Each Cupid a wild little wanderer proves;
His smile has no charm, his resentment no sting,
And his faith is more light than a Butterfly's wing.
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II
When too many loves sport in Beauty's fair bowers,They scatter the blossoms of too many flowers;
They revel 'mid roses all day—but they leave
No fragrance—no bloom to refresh them at eve:
But when beauty admits only one little guest,
He flies to one rose, never heeding the rest;
That one rose may wither—yet sweet to the last,
'Twill serve for his pillow when summer is past.
III
The frail bark of Folly may dance on the tide,Adorn'd with the gay wreaths of pleasure and pride:
The first gloomy cloud drives her crew from the deck;
The helm is deserted—the vessel a wreck.
Yet I've seen a light boat which no storm could o'erwhelm;
There was one love on board who stood firm at the helm;
He smilingly guided her safe to the shore,
And Truth was inscribed on the banner she bore.
| Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems | |