Sweet stream that winds through yonder glade,  
  Apt emblem of a virtuous maid  
  Silent and chaste she steals along,  
  Far from the world's gay busy throng:  
  With gentle yet prevailing force,  
  Intent upon her destined course;  
  Graceful and useful all she does,  
  Blessing and blest where'er she goes;  
  Pure-bosom'd as that watery glass,  
  And Heaven reflected in her face.
"To a Young Lady" (1782).











