[Page 57]

SONNET [37] XXXVII. Sent to the Hon. Mrs. O'Niell, with painted Flowers.

1 THE poet's fancy takes from Flora's realm
2 Her buds and leaves to dress fictitious powers,
3 With the green olive shades Minerva's helm,
4 And gives to Beauty's Queen, the Queen of Flowers.
5 But what gay blossoms of luxuriant Spring,
6 With rose, mimosa, amaranth entwin'd,
7 Shall fabled Sylphs, and fairy people bring,
8 As a just emblem of the lovely mind?
9 In vain the mimic pencil tries to blend
10 The glowing dyes that dress the flow'ry race,
11 Scented and colour'd by a hand divine!
12 Ah! not less vainly would the Muse pretend
13 On her weak lyre, to sing the native grace
14 And native goodness of a soul like thine!

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Title (in Source Edition): SONNET [37] XXXVII. Sent to the Hon. Mrs. O'Niell, with painted Flowers.
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Genres: sonnet

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Source edition

Smith, Charlotte Turner, 1749-1806. Elegiac sonnets, and other poems. By Charlotte Smith. The first Worcester edition, from the sixth London edition, with additions. Printed at Worcester [Mass.]: by Isaiah Thomas, sold by him in Worcester, and by said Thomas and Andrews in Boston, 1795, p. 57. xix,[2],22-126,[2]p.,[5] leaves of plates: ill.; 15 cm. (12mo) (OTA N22357)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, 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.

Other works by Charlotte Smith (née Turner)