The village curate and other poems

Hurdis, James (1763-1801)

A QUESTION PROPOSED AND EXPLAINED TO KITTY.

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285

Whence came the blemish on thy face?
Did Hebe cause the stain,
Did Nature's self her work disgrace
Lest Kitty should be vain?

No, 'twas the Priest, who, seldom wont.
To sprinkle smiles like thine,
Mistook the chalice for the font,
And christen'd thee with wine:

Or the pure element, distress'd
At Angel-looks so meek,
Thought thee another Saviour-guest,
And blush'd upon thy cheek.

286

So Heaven forbade with timely spot
That beauty to aspire,
Which, had it blaz'd without a blot,
Had set the world on fire.

The author here alludes to a well-known beautiful line, said to have been written by Dryden, upon the Miracle of Cana:

Lympha pudica Deum vidit et erubuit—
When God appear'd, the conscious water blush'd.

University of Virginia Library