To The Sighing Strephon [1]

1. Your pardon, my friend,
If my rhymes did offend,
Your pardon, a thousand times o'er;
From friendship I strove,
Your pangs to remove,
But, I swear, I will do so no more.

2. Since your beautiful maid,
Your flame has repaid,
No more I your folly regret;
She's now most divine,
And I bow at the shrine,
Of this quickly reformèd coquette.

3. Yet still, I must own, [i]
I should never have known,
From your verses, what else she deserv'd;
Your pain seem'd so great,
I pitied your fate,
As your fair was so dev'lish reserv'd.

4. Since the balm-breathing kiss [ii]
Of this magical Miss,
Can such wonderful transports produce; [iii]
Since the "world you forget,
When your lips once have met,"
My counsel will get but abuse.
5. You say, "When I rove,"
"I know nothing of love;"
Tis true, I am given to range;
If I rightly remember,
I've lov'd a good number; [iv]
Yet there's pleasure, at least, in a change.

6. I will not advance, [v]
By the rules of romance,
To humour a whimsical fair;
Though a smile may delight,
Yet a frown will affright, [vi]
Or drive me to dreadful despair.

7. While my blood is thus warm,
I ne'er shall reform,
To mix in the Platonists' school;
Of this I am sure,
Was my Passion so pure,
Thy Mistress would think me a fool. [vii]

8 [viii] And if I should shun,
Every woman for one,
Whose image must fill my whole breast;
Whom I must prefer,
And sigh but for her,
What an insult 'twould be to the rest!
9. Now Strephon, good-bye;
I cannot deny,
Your passion appears most absurd;
Such love as you plead,
Is pure love, indeed,
For it only consists in the word.

[Footnote 1: The letters "J. M. B. P." are added, in a lady's hand, in the annotated copy of 'P. on V. Occasions', p. 17 (British Museum).]

[Footnote i: 'But still'. [4to]]

[Footnote ii: 'But since the chaste kiss.' [4to]]

[Footnote iii: 'Such wonderful.' [4to]]

[Footnote iv:

'I've kiss'd a good number.
But——-'
[4to]]

[Footnote v:

'I ne'er will advance.'

[4to]]
[Footnote vi:

'Yet a frown won't affright.'

[4to. 'P. on V. Occasions.']]

[Footnote vii:

'My mistress must think me.'

[4to. 'P. on V. Occasions.']]

[Footnote viii:

'Though the kisses are sweet,
Which voluptuously meet,
Of kissing I ne'er was so fond,
As to make me forget,
Though our lips oft have met,
That still there was something beyond.'
[4to]