Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774). When Lovely Woman Stoops to Folly. William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. 1909. The Book of Georgian Verse

William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Georgian Verse. 1909.

When Lovely Woman Stoops to Folly

By Oliver Goldsmith (1730–1774)


WHEN 1 lovely woman stoops to folly,
And finds too late that men betray,
What charm can soothe her melancholy,
What art can wash her guilt away?

The only art her guilt to cover,	5
To hide her shame from every eye,
To give repentance to her lover,
And wring his bosom—is, to die.

Note 1. From She Stoops to Conquer. [back]