How old may Phyllis be, you ask, 
Whose beauty thus all hearts engages? 
To answer is no easy task; 
For she has really two ages. 

Stiff in brocard, and pinch'd in stays, 
Her patches, paint, and jewels on; 
All day let envy view her face; 
And Phyllis is but twenty-one. 

Paint, patches, jewels laid aside, 
At night astronomers agree, 
The evening has the day belied; 
And Phyllis is some forty-three. 

Added: Apr 27 2005 | Viewed: 618 times | Comments (0)

Poet: Matthew Prior
Poem: Phyllis's Age

Poem of the Day on:
Jul 2 2007
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