439. Song

John Gay. 1688-1732


O RUDDIER than the cherry!
O sweeter than the berry!
    O nymph more bright
    Than moonshine night,
Like kidlings blithe and merry!
Ripe as the melting cluster!
No lily has such lustre;
    Yet hard to tame
    As raging flame,
And fierce as storms that bluster!

The Oxford Book of English Verse, HTML edition