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APPEARANCE AND REALITY.

1 VIRTUE and prudence once agreed,
2 In Hymen's bands their lives to lead;
3 Their offspring daughters prov'd to be,
4 Appearance and Reality.
5 In mutual harmony they grew,
6 And equal joy their parents knew;
7 With looks serene and accent mild,
8 Virtue address'd her eldest child.
9 A parent's heart can only know,
10 The joys that in my bosom glow;
11 When I behold my first-born care,
12 So more than all my wishes fair.
13 The rose which paints thy beauteous cheek,
14 The snow that whitens o'er thy neck,
15 The gems which sparkle in thine eyes,
16 Fill all my soul with fond surprize,
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17 Not only in myself I rest,
18 Appearance joins to make me blest.
19 Thy beauties every heart can warm,
20 And virtue thro' thy means must charm.
21 But oh my daughter! hear my voice,
22 Thy sister's worth be still thy choice,
23 And boast no charm, whate'er it be,
24 Forgetful of Reality.
25 Her merits to the world display,
26 While she secures thy bounded sway.
27 Prudence his anxious fears confess'd,
28 And thus his fav'rite charge address'd,
29 My darling child! in thee I find,
30 Thy mother's graces all combin'd,
31 Each feature of her lovely face,
32 With fond delight in thee I trace.
33 But let my daughter now attend,
34 And hear the counsels of her friend.
35 Tho' solid worth be all thy own,
36 Appearance best can make it known.
37 Her varied graces all admire,
38 Appearance every breast can fire,
39 Give her a place within thy heart,
40 And all thy worth she shall impart.
41 Thus hand in hand the sisters went,
42 And fill'd their parents with content.
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43 Reality's more solid worth,
44 Appearance studied to set forth.
45 While she secured her sister's claim,
46 And gave Appearance spotless fame.
47 Their tender love soon care beguil'd,
48 Till virtue left her darling child,
49 Appearance then with forward mien,
50 Before her sister still was seen,
51 Unbounded lures around she spread,
52 Nor ever for her sister staid.
53 And such her soft attractive grace,
54 In every heart she found a place;
55 Not long deceiv'd the wise could be,
56 They found she'd left Reality.
57 And soon the subjects of her reign,
58 Were but the thoughtless and the vain.
59 'Twas with contempt her sister saw,
60 The servile herd about her draw,
61 And when her father's head was laid,
62 She scorn'd to sue to her for aid,
63 But conscious of her native worth,
64 Without Appearance ventur'd forth.
65 Vainly she seeks to find a friend,
66 Her hidden merits none commend,
67 Without Appearance few would see
68 The merits of Reality.
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69 Their error now the sisters find,
70 Experience shows their interest join'd,
71 Virtue and Prudence must delight,
72 To see their offspring still unite.

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Title (in Source Edition): APPEARANCE AND REALITY.
Author: Eliza Day
Themes:
Genres: allegory

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Daye, Eliza, b. ca. 1734. Poems, on Various Subjects. Liverpool: Printed by J. M'Creery, 1798, pp. [19]-22. [2],x,[4],258p.; 8° (ESTC T132359) (Page images digitized by University of California Libraries.)

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Typography, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been cautiously modernized. The source of the text is given and all significant editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. This ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

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