Beauty's Revenge

Beauty's Revenge written by William Henry Davies

From "Songs of Joy", 1911

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Proud Margery rang her peal of bells;
"If you despise all womankind,
Take care, young man," she said, "take care
No woman ever plagues your mind" -
The young man smoothed his own soft hair.

And how it came about, who knows,
It is for womankind to tell;
Before a full-blown rose could fade,
That man was suffering passion's hell
For Margery, that merry maid.

She brought ripe cherries to his sleep,
Her teeth and eyes they shone at night;
"I am," he murmured in his dreams,
"A poor black ruin blessed with light -
From Margery come those heavenly beams."

He dreamt he saw her hair at hand;
" My soul," he sighed, "is little worth,
My life till now had little hope.
But I will find my heaven on earth
By holding to this silken rope."

He told his love to Margery soon,
She bird-like cocked her cruel head,
She rang her peal of bells again:
"Nay, I despise you men," she said -
"Good-bye, young man, and take no pain."

This work is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.