| William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910. | | | | The Answer | | By Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762) |
| | | THOUGH I never get possession, | |
| ’Tis a pleasure to adore; | |
| Hope, the wretch’s only blessing, | |
| May, in time, procure me more. | |
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| Constant courtship may obtain her, | 5 |
| Where both wealth and merit fail; | |
| And the lucky minute gain her— | |
| Fate and fancy must prevail. | |
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| At Diana’s shrine, aloud, | |
| By the bow and by the quiver, | 10 |
| Thrice she bowed, and thrice she vowed, | |
| Once to love—and that forever. | | | | |
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