Gay as the lambs her cot surrounding, Sporting wild the shades among, O’er the hills and bushes bounding, Artless, innocent, and young, Fresh, as blush of morning roses Ere the mid-day suns prevail, Fair as lily-bud uncloses, Blooms sweet Patty of the Vale. Low and humble though her station, Dress though mean she’s doom’d to wear, Few superiors in the nation With her beauty can compare. What are riches?--not worth naming, Though with some they may prevail; Their’s be choice of wealth proclaiming, Mine is Patty of the Vale. Fools may fancy wealth and fortune Join to make a happy pair, And for such the god importune, With full many a fruitless prayer: I, their pride and wealth disdaining Should my humble hopes prevail, Happy then, would cease complaining, Blest with Patty of the Vale. MY LOVE, THOU ART A NOSEGAY SWEET My love, thou art a nosegay sweet, My sweetest flower I prove thee; And pleas’d I pin thee to my breast, And dearly do I love thee. And when, my nosegay, thou shalt fade, As sweet a flower thou’lt prove thee; And as thou witherest on my breast, For beauty past I’ll love thee. And when, my nosegay, thou shalt die, And heaven’s flower shalt prove thee; My hopes shall follow to the sky, And everlasting love thee. THE MEETING Here we meet, too soon to part, Here to leave will raise a smart, Here I’ll press thee to my heart, Where none have place above thee: Here I vow to love thee well, And could words unseal the spell, Had but language strength to tell, I’d say how much I love thee. Here, the rose that decks thy door, Here, the thorn that spreads thy bow’r, Here, the willow on the moor, The birds at rest above thee, Had they light of life to see, Sense of soul like thee and me, Soon might each a witness be How doatingly I love thee. By the night-sky’s purple ether, And by even’s sweetest weather, That oft has blest us both together,-- The moon that shines above thee, And shews thy beauteous cheek so blooming, And by pale age’s winter coming, The charms, and casualties of woman, I will for ever love thee. EFFUSION