Dell And I

    In a mansion grand, just over the way
    Lives bonny, beautiful Dell;
    You may have heard of this lady gay,
    For she is a famous belle.
    I live in a low cot opposite -
    You never have heard of me;
    For when the lady moon shines bright,
    Who would a pale star see?
But ah, well! ah, well!    I am happier far than Dell,
    As strange as that may be.

    Dell has robes of the richest kind -
    Pinks and purples and blues;
    And she worries her maid and frets her mind
    To know which one to choose.
    Which shall it be now, silk or lace?
    In which will I be most fair?
    She stands by the mirror with anxious face,
    And her maid looks on in despair.
Ah, well! ah, well!    I am not worried, you see, like Dell,
    For I have but one to wear.

    Dell has lovers of every grade,
    Of every age and style;
    Suitors flutter about the maid,
    And bask in her word and smile.
    She keeps them all, with a coquette's art,
    As suits her mood or mirth,
    And vainly wonders if in one heart
    Of all true love has birth.
Ah, well! ah, well!    I never question myself like Dell,
    For I know a true heart's worth.

    Pleasure to Dell seems stale and old,
    Often she sits and sighs;
    Life to me is a tale untold,
    Each day is a glad surprise.
    Dell will marry, of course, some day,
    After her belleship is run;
    She will cavil the matter in worldly way
    And wed Dame Fortune's son
But, ah, well! sweet to tell, I shall not dally and choose like Dell,
    For I love and am loved by - one.