See how the pair of billing doves
With open murmurs own their loves;
And, heedless of censorious eyes,
Pursue their unpolluted joys;
No fears of future want molest
The downy quiet of their nest:
No int'rest join'd the happy pair,
Securely blest in Nature's care,
While her dictates they pursue;
For constancy is Nature too.
Can all the doctrine of the schools,
Our maxims, our religious rules,
Can learning to our lives ensure,
Virtue so bright, or bliss so pure?
More verses by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
- Epistle From Mrs. Yonge To Her Husband
- Saturday, The Small-Pox
- Epistle From Arthur Grey, The Footman, To Mrs. Murray, After His Condemnation For Attempting To Commit Violence.
- The Reasons That Induced Dr S To Write A Poem Call'D The Lady's Dressing Room
- A Man In Love