A Rosy Lie
I MET a pretty rosy Lie,
Who looked most truthful:
I had not strength to pass her by,
For I was youthful.
The rosy Lie came home to dine,
And stayed to sup:
I poured for her my life's best wine
In my heart's cup.
The rosy Lie came home to sleep,
And still is near me:
She has no beauty now to keep,
She does not fear me.
The rosy Lie has devil's claws,
A tail and pointed horn:
But since I once have broken laws
She makes my life forlorn.
Friend, if you meet a rosy Lie
With smiling face,
Be wise and swiftly pass her by
And flee the place.
The rosy Lie has demon friends
That storm your city,
And shape your aims to suit their ends,
The more's the pity!
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