| T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22. | | | | Song from “The Old Bachelor” | | By William Congreve (1670–1729) |
| | | THUS, to a ripe consenting maid, | |
| Poor, old, repenting Delia said:— | |
| Would you long preserve your lover? | |
| Would you still his goddess reign? | |
| Never let him all discover, | 5 |
| Never let him much obtain. | |
| |
| Men will admire, adore, and die, | |
| While wishing at your feet they lie: | |
| But admitting their embraces | |
| Wakes ’em from the golden dream; | 10 |
| Nothing’s new besides our faces, | |
| Every woman is the same. | | | | |
|
|
