TO MISS W. WITH MY PICTURE, THOU child of painting's mimic pencil go, A well known face to dear Alicia shew, I know to souls like her's, a faithful friend Rise in succession to her mental sight; Our Our winter ev'nings rational, and gay, Which converse, books, so sweetly stole away; And sure my friend's affection will suggest, That we may shortly meet, and Friendship's pow'r yet I have endeavoured occasionally to supply the want of his cherishing beams, by working up my poetical fervor to an unusual glow; from thinking, whatever other people may imagine, that I have by fits and starts, a tolerable good knack at versifying, and possess some small share of poetic fire. I shall incorporate Mrs. Day's poetry with her Husband's, by numbering the pages as if it were a continuation of his, (though all Mr. Day's detached pieces of poetry worth publishing I have now printed,) because, as in life their whole souls were wrapped up in each other, I think it congenial with their mutual ardent affection, that their minds embodied, as it were, by printing their poetry, should appear united upon paper; and I am sure, if their departed spirits could see what was doing here below, and had no objection to my printing a few of their poetical blossoms, they would approve of such an union. It was from the extraordinary similarity in their taste, disposition, and understanding, from their hearts and minds being so exactly in unison, that I have not written an an epitaph or memento of Mrs. Day's death, and not from want of poetic inspiration, or zealous affection; I considered an epitaph on her, would be only an enumeration of similar virtuous qualities with those of her deceased Husband, and therefore, though her death was as heartfelt, irreparable a loss to her friends as her flusband's to his, I did not give way to the impulse of grief by writing one, supposing what I had said of Mr. Day's mind and disposition in my epitaph upon him, would apply as much to his surviving wife, as to himself, touching all those excellent and great mental qualifica tions, which may be alike possessed by either sex. I have therefore always considered my verses on Mr. Day's death, in some measure as applicable to both. The pleasing simplicity which prevails through Mrs. Day's poetry, whatever its poetical merits may be, is an exact and faithful representation of the genuine goodness of her heart, and the unaffected simplicity of her manners, as all who had the pleasure of knowing her will acknowledge; which characteristic occasioned her an unusual number of sincere female friends, ardent in their friendship to her, as the sun at noon-day. Her piety D 2 |