TO THE LADY MARY LOWTHER

          LADY! I rifled a Parnassian Cave
          (But seldom trod) of mildly-gleaming ore;
          And culled, from sundry beds, a lucid store
          Of genuine crystals, pure as those that pave
          The azure brooks, where Dian joys to lave
          Her spotless limbs; and ventured to explore
          Dim shades--for reliques, upon Lethe's shore,
          Cast up at random by the sullen wave.
          To female hands the treasures were resigned;
          And lo this Work!--a grotto bright and clear                10
          From stain or taint; in which thy blameless mind
          May feed on thoughts though pensive not austere;
          Or, if thy deeper spirit be inclined
          To holy musing, it may enter her.
                                                              1820.