An Apology For Not Showing Her What I Had Wrote

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



Did not my Muse (what can she less?)
Perceive her own unworthiness,
Could she by some well-chosen theme,
But hope to merit your esteem,
She would not thus conceal her lays,
Ambitious to deserve your praise.
But should my Delia take offence,
And frown on her impertinence,
In silence, sorrowing and forlorn,
Would the despairing trifler mourn,
Curse her ill-tuned, unpleasing lute,
Then sigh and sit for ever mute.
In secret therefore let her play,
Squandering her idle notes away
In secret as she chants along,
Cheerful and careless in her song;
Nor heeds she whether harsh or clear
Free from each terror, every fear,
From that, of all most dreaded, free,
The terror of offending thee.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
61

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCAADDEEFFGGHHII
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 675
Words 120
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 20

William Cowper

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

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