free-verse40 lines

Dell And I

In a mansion grand, just over the way

Lives bonny, beautiful Dell;

You may have heard of this lady gay,

For she is a famous belle.

I live in a low cot opposite -

You never have heard of me;

For when the lady moon shines bright,

Who would a pale star see?

But ah, well! ah, well! I am happier far than Dell,

As strange as that may be.

Dell has robes of the richest kind -

Pinks and purples and blues;

And she worries her maid and frets her mind

To know which one to choose.

Which shall it be now, silk or lace?

In which will I be most fair?

She stands by the mirror with anxious face,

And her maid looks on in despair.

Ah, well! ah, well! I am not worried, you see, like Dell,

For I have but one to wear.

Dell has lovers of every grade,

Of every age and style;

Suitors flutter about the maid,

And bask in her word and smile.

She keeps them all, with a coquette's art,

As suits her mood or mirth,

And vainly wonders if in one heart

Of all true love has birth.

Ah, well! ah, well! I never question myself like Dell,

For I know a true heart's worth.

Pleasure to Dell seems stale and old,

Often she sits and sighs;

Life to me is a tale untold,

Each day is a glad surprise.

Dell will marry, of course, some day,

After her belleship is run;

She will cavil the matter in worldly way

And wed Dame Fortune's son

But, ah, well! sweet to tell, I shall not dally and choose like Dell,

For I love and am loved by - one.