University of Virginia Library

To Miss Allen.

As the pure sentimental platonical friend,
To his Platonist mistress his picture may send,
And not give the most rigid old damsel a handle,
From thence on their friendship to throw any scandal;
Tho' I've well weighed the matter, I cannot as yet see,
Any reason why I should not send mine to Betsy.
Yet think not I mean to a painter to sit,
With my elbows trussed down like a goose for the spit;
Or, in languishing style with my head o'er one shoulder,
Be drawn sweetly smirking at every beholder.
In my own way of painting, in plain black and white,
With my pen for a pencil, my picture I'll write,
And since my face, mien, and in short my whole person,
Is scarce worth the wasting such excellent verse on,
This sketch of myself, to the traits of my mind,
Tho' perhaps scarce more lovely, shall all be confined.
My mind then resembles the month I was born in,
As changeable just as an April fine morning;
One moment with clouds on a sudden o'ercast,
The next 'tis all sunshine, the tempest is past.
In my studies too carrying the very same farce on,
One half a physician and one half a parson.
Each scheme that in prospect so charms for a time,
I give up to jingle the sheep-bells of rhyme:
Then lazily sport in such trifles as these,
And have vanity too to conceive they may please.
To politeness attached, though disqualified quite,
By my freedom of temper, from being polite,
Whatever occurs at the moment I say,
So perhaps contradict myself ten times a day.
With parts so capacious, they render me idle,
In all wanting more of the spur than the bridle.
I have sense some few faults of my own to detect,
Without resolution those faults to correct.
Thus am I this weak, vain, soft fickle creature,
With indolence still the predominant feature.
But lest you should think, in thus reading my picture,
That I've too plainly dealt with myself in this stricture,
E'en touch up the beauties you chance to discover,
Throw in some new lights, and varnish all over.
It may then perhaps serve as a match for your own:
Or stay;—you had best let these touches alone;
Its shades, as they are, will improve to the view,
The lights that must shine thro' each copy of you!