Occasional verse, moral and sacred Published for the instruction and amusement of the Candidly Serious and Religious [by Edward Perronet] |
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THE DISTAFF. |
 | Occasional verse, moral and sacred |  |
THE DISTAFF.
I
O what is life, at least what's mine?A brittle thread of flaxen twine,
On time's frail Distaff spun;
Too slender for the important weight,
Hung on it by the hand of fate,
That breaks ere well begun.
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II
Each day winds off a short'ning length,That, as it runs, impairs its strength,
More feeble than the past:
A few more turns around the wheel,
And that which bid it run stands still,
And I have spun my last.
| Occasional verse, moral and sacred | |